Conflict
by The Blade of Osh-Tekk
Summary: My version of what happens after Merry Christmas Mordecai. This is a side story, so updates will be slow, but I will tell you if it's abandoned. I own only the creative story line. I own none of the characters or anything or anyone. Edited and revised.
1. Chapter 1 - Morning Regrets

A/N: My first Regular Show fanfiction. Anyway, I'm surprised by the lack of stories regarding the episode of Merry Christmas Mordecai. In all honesty, it's not hard to make at least a one-shot from that ending. This might be a series, I don't know, but my priority is my Harry Potter fanfic. I'm planning on making versions all the way down to year 7, so I got work to do. This will be a side thing. The chapters won't be too long, but I'll try to make them as extensive as I can. Anyway, lets get started.

* * *

Mordecai sighed and rubbed his eyes as they had been bothering him immensely. After hours of calling CJ on her phone and no answer, not to mention the kiss with Margaret was haunting him from dusk till dawn, the blue jay was physically and emotionally exhausted.

Mordecai knew he would need coffee to get through the day, but he didn't want to risk running into Margaret on the way. Honestly, the conflict in him was driving him insane and he felt as if he would die of stress within the week. But he decided to go anyway. He knew if he didn't work, Benson would tear strips out of his hide.

It was barely 6 in the morning, which is right at opening. Mordecai took the cart toward the shop and walked inside.

"Mordecai? Didn't expect you to be here," Eileen said.

"Trust me, I'd avoid here if I could help it, but I'm so tired from staying up all night and I'm not going to get through the day unless I get some coffee. Above all things, an angry Benson is something I can't handle while I'm so tired. 2 cups please?" Mordecai asked.

"Yeah, sure. It's 5 bucks," Eileen said.

Mordecai handed her the 5 and she went to go make the coffee. Mordecai ran his hands down his numb face, hoping to help with his lack of sleep. It didn't help.

Eileen came back with the coffee and Mordecai nearly ran out of the store as soon as he got his coffee.

"Wait, Mordecai! I need to talk to you! Eileen yelled. Mordecai stopped at the door and turned to face her.

"What is it?" Mordecai said in an exhausted voice.

"Look, what happened at the party?" Eileen asked.

"You know what happened," Mordecai said.

"It's not really _what _happened. It's _why. _I mean, I thought you liked CJ and I thought Margaret respected that you moved on," Eileen said.

"We did! At least, we thought we did, I guess?" Mordecai said in an unsure voice. "I'm not sure when it happened. I mean, we talked about why I was acting all awkward, we started looking back on some of the good times, and a second later, I'm kissing her! I mean, I don't know how that happened. I didn't even notice! The look on CJ's face... God, I feel like a horrible person."

"No one deserves to be done like that. Don't bother to try and move on if you're still clinging to the past," Eileen explained.

"CHRIST EILEEN, YOU DON'T THINK I KNOW THIS? I THOUGHT I WAS OVER IT, BUT I'M NOT SURE ANYMORE! YOU DON'T THINK I'M DEALING WITH ENOUGH KNOWING WHAT I DID?!" Mordecai yelled. The exhaustion was now gone and replaced with fury and self-resentment.

Eileen flinched from his tone and looked at Mordecai sadly.

"I'm sorry about that, but this needs to be resolved ASAP. Have you talked to CJ?" Eileen asked.

"I was up all night trying to call her. I was going to try and go to her house after work," Mordecai said.

"That's the thing. Don't go there until you've established exactly what you feel for Margaret. Otherwise, this might happen again, but this time, things will be beyond reparation," Eileen said.

Mordecai sighed and started walking toward the door. But before he left, he looked back.

"That's the thing Eileen. I'm not sure what I still feel for her," he said, leaving the shop.

Eileen sighed and faced the entrance to the back room. Margaret walked out with a hesitant look.

"Was that the answer you were looking for?" Eileen asked.

"Not really. I'm dealing with the same thing he is. I don't want to come between him and CJ," Margaret said.

"The thing is, you can't help that if he's still got feelings for you," Eileen said. "Whichever way this ends, I don't think it will be quick and clean."

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A/N: Follow and favorite the story if you liked the first chapter and would like to see more. Don't forget a side of reviews. I have to know if I'm wasting time with this. If it's got at least a few good responses before New Years, then I'll work on the next chapter. Until then, peace peoples.


	2. Chapter 2 - Skips Wisdom

A/N: The number of reviews are enough, so I'm continuing this. Hope everyone had a good Christmas and will have an exciting New Years. Let's continue.

* * *

Mordecai rubbed his eyes for a second before swallowing the last of his coffee on the steps. He already showered and brushed his teeth (he learned never to make that mistake again). Since work was only a half hour away, he decided to wait on the steps.

Benson arrived shortly after, but Mordecai didn't notice because his eyes were closed. Benson's eyes widened at the blue jay sitting on the steps in surprise.

"Mordecai? You're here early," Benson stated. Mordecai opened his eyes and regarded his boss for a second before throwing his head back and closing his eyes again.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep last night, so I went to the coffee shop and got a couple of cups. I know if I don't work, you'll be out for my blood. Figured I might as well get here early," he said with a small smirk.

Benson shook his head and smirked as well. He knows most of the time, him and Rigby will barely make it on time. The rest of the time they're late.

"Well, good on you then. Why couldn't you sleep? Long night?" Benson said.

"Ugh, you could say that," Mordecai said.

Benson seemed to regard Mordecai for a moment before speaking.

"I'll tell you what. Get your half of your jobs done and you can get back to sleep. Maybe Rigby will actually know what it's like to work by himself for once. But don't forget. The New Years party is in a few you'll have to help. Regardless of how tired you may be," Benson said.

"That would help. I feel drained. What's my half?" Mordecai asked.

"Just the dishes and the trash," Benson said.

"Are those the easier of the jobs?" Mordecai asked. Benson looked at him with a look so even, he figured he was laughing.

"Maybe," he said.

Mordecai smiled and stood up.

"Thanks," Mordecai said.

"No problem. At least when you work, you work hard," Benson said.

"Rigby doesn't?" Mordecai asked.

"You really want to go down that road?" Benson asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Never mind," Mordecai said, remembering that time he saw Rigby asleep under the sprinklers.

He went in the house and grabbed the trash before taking it to the front of the park and setting it in the public trash can for pickup.

Next, he went in the house and washed the dishes, which only took about 20 minutes.

"You look awful," Skips commented when he walked in the house.

"Good morning to you too," Mordecai said sarcastically.

"Problems?" Skips said.

"Heh. When don't I have problems? It's either something paranormal, relationship wise, or Rigby's laziness, but the last one I can handle," Mordecai said.

"Since you didn't come to me, it's not option one. I think you would've gotten Rigby for it to be option three, so it's not. I'm going to guess option two. What happened?" Skips asked.

"I kissed Maragret."

He said it as quickly as possible to hurry up and get it out of his mouth, but he still felt the gravity of the statement and winced.

Skips simply nodded like he expected this answer.

"Uh-huh. And does CJ know about this?" Skips asked.

"She doesn't just know. She saw us. Of all of my rotten luck..."

"It does never seem to end for you. Unfortunately, I can't help you with this. Only you know the answer to this problem," Skips explained.

"What does that even mean?" Mordecai half yelled.

"Do you still love Maragret?" Skips said dryly. The way Skips said it made the question hit Mordecai even harder than he expected.

"I'm not really sure," Mordecai said.

Skips simply stared at Mordecai with a piercing stared that unnerved him for a bit.

"Well, until you do figure it out, I don't recommend you try and patch things up with CJ. Otherwise that'll make things worse," he finally said.

"Same thing Eileen said. But what will she think if I don't contact her again?" Mordecai asked.

"Maybe I should've been more specific. Don't get back in the relationship. Just tell her there are some things you need to figure out. It'll sound horrible, but it's what you need to do," Skips explained. Mordecai groaned.

"I hate feeling like the bad guy. I don't like being that jerk that breaks a girl's heart," he said.

"I know you. You're not like those guys. There are some issues that need to resolved. The mind may think one thing, but the heart can want another," Skips said.

"Could you get even more original?" Mordecai said.

"Give me a second. I'm sure I could," Skips said, his expression somehow still even after that statement. Even though there was definitely humor in his voice. Mordecai smiled.

"Thanks Skips. Well, right now I need to sleep before I start thinking about anything," Mordecai said, heading up the stairs.

Mordecai practically body slammed himself on his bed and closed his eyes, the coffee not lasting very long after the little work he did.

_"Do you still love her?" _was the last thought that rang through his head before he dosed off.

* * *

A/N: Next chapter is done and everyone use their imaginations to what the pairing is gonna be. Try to break it down. Anyway, I'm done until next time.


	3. Chapter 3 - Nightmarish Dream

A/N: This is doing a lot better than I expected, so I'll continue. I'm reaching the point where I'm about to go back to my other story, so don't kill me if I don't update. I told you, that's my priority.

* * *

Mordecai's body was half hanging off the bed with his hand dangling off the side and mouth halfway open. This wasn't exactly the most comfortable sleeping position, but he was too tired to care.

"Mordecai!"

Mordecai jerked up so fast that he fell off the bed with the cover falling down with him and landing on top of his face. Mordecai ripped it off with an angry air.

"What the heck, man? I swear, if you were Muscle Man, I'd punt you across the room, Instead, I'll settle for this," Mordecai said, punching Rigby in the arm with all the strength he had.

"Owwwww!" Rigby moaned, falling to the floor from the force. "What's your problem?"

"My 'problem' as you call it, is that I've only had..." Mordecai quickly took a look at the clock on the dashboard. "...three hours of sleep. I'm so irritable, I'm not in the mood for crap. So unless the reason for waking me up was important, you better get out of here before I kick you in the junk."

Rigby turned white for a second before running out of the room. Mordecai shook his head before punching the wall in frustration.

_"I love the guy, but gets on my last nerve a lot,"_ Mordecai thought before collapsing on the bed again. Only this time with more... unpleasant dreams.

_Mordecai shuffled a little in his sleep, finding it harder to stay in his composed unconscious state. Then after a while, he figured why it was getting more difficult. He could hear his voice being called. Faintly at first, but it started to gradually grow in volume._

_"Mordecai! Mordecai!"_

_Mordecai froze on his bed, eyes suddenly open as if they were glued. He knew that voice. And it was coming from a person he'd rather avoid._

_"Mordecai! I know you're awake! Please, we need to talk. It doesn't need to be like this!"_

_The sad tone in her voice seemed to hurt him physically and caused him to visibly flinch. If she thought he wasn't up before, she knows it now. He decided to sit up and face the person in question. _

_"What is there to talk about? I... I made a mistake that night. I'm trying to fix it. Unt-"_

_"That's the thing though. I don't want you to," Maragret said._

_Mordecai's eyes, if possible, got wider from this statement and he sat up straighter._

_"What?!" Mordecai asked, his voice going deeper than usual. It practically demanded an answer, which surprised him. _

_"I... had to leave. That college was my dream. But didn't want to leave like we did," Margaret said. _

_"Why? You went to your perfect college. You got want you wanted, right?" Mordecai said in a bitter voice. Suddenly, everything that happened in that restaurant hit him all at once. The pain, the loneliness, the depression... Oh, the depression._

_Maragret visibly flinched from his statement and the guilt hit him instantly._

_"I never thought you wanted to make me feel guilty about the choice I made," she said sadly._

_"I didn't! I respected your choice, but... I hated it. It _hurt. _It hurt so badly. I've moved on, but... you come back all of a sudden, and... this happens. Everything goes straight to the Crash Pit! Up in flames!" Mordecai exclaimed, flailing his arms._

_"It hurt me too, but I had to do it. I had to think about my future..."_

_"That's part of why it hurt! The darned future! I screwed up! I got lazy! I screwed up and dropped out of art school! Maybe if I took it seriously and focused, I could've been somewhere else! Not with a dead end job and a future that I'm probably going to be following till the day I die! I never would've met the people I call friends today, but..."_

_All of a sudden, Maragret grabbed his arms and held him still before looking him dead in the eye. _

_"Calm down. I understand. It's not too late to go back. I'm living proof of that," Maragret said._

_Mordecai calmed down and took a deep breath before answering._

_"On my budget and hours? Rigby has a better chance of beating me at Punchies before that happens," Mordecai said._

_Maragret giggled and despite himself, Mordecai laughed too. Suddenly, things felt like they did before... everything._

_"Can't we go back to they way things were before?" Maragret asked, placing her arms around his neck._

_Mordecai remembered this particular warmth. At the time, he enjoyed nothing more._

_"I wish they could, but... we're not together anymore. This is the past. We need to move on," Mordecai said, trying to gently push her away. _

_"But... don't you love me?"Maragret asked, her voice desperate. Searching, wanting, no, _needing _an answer._

_"I..." _

Mordecai awoke with a start and and suddenly shot up from his bed.

"Oh, man. Oh man," he repeated. Mordecai was clammy with cold sweat and was shaking violently. He then began smashing his head on the wall repeatedly.

"Stupid... stupid... stupid..." he repeated over and over again.

The door burst open and Benson, Skips, and Rigby came in.

"Why are you banging your head on the wall like a crazy person?" Rigby asked.

"Just a nightmare. I think. I'm fine. Just give me a sec," Mordecai said, moving away from the wall and waving a hand dismissively.

"Tea helps with a cold sweat. Come downstairs and I'll make you a cup," Skips said.

"I think I need some tea right now," Mordecai said, rising to his feet.

Skips and Benson began heading down the stairs, but Rigby was still looking at Mordecai with a concerned look.

"Maragret haunting your dreams?" Rigby said.

"How'd you guess?" Mordecai asked.

"Only she can get you screaming like that," Rigby said with a small smirk. (Use your imagination as to what that joke meant)

Mordecai playfully shoved his friend with a wide grin.

"You're an idiot, but you'll always be my bro," Mordecai said.

Rigby held out his fist and they fist bumped.

"Forever man. Now let's get downstairs. Next thing you know, Benson will fire us for not drinking tea," Rigby said.

Mordecai smirked and followed Rigby downstairs. By then, Skips already had the tea set up at the table. Mordecai sat down and took a cup of tea. Rigby sat down, but didn't take a cup.

Mordecai took a sip and felt warm sensations travel through his body. Pleasant ones to counter his current state of clamminess.

"Thanks Skips," Mordecai said gratefully.

Skips simply nodded slightly before taking a sip of tea. Benson simply observed his employee with a careful eye before speaking up.

"Now, what's got you bashing your head against the wall like a masochist?" he asked.

"Maragret," Rigby said bluntly.

"The coffee girl? I thought she went to college after the animatronics situation," Benson said.

"She's back, and things got... complicated at the New Years party to say the least," Rigby said

"Complicated how?" Benson asked.

"This ladies man right here kissed her. Swear it was like he was back at his first one all over again," Rigby said smirking.

Mordecai looked Rigby angrily, but he simply shrugged. Mordecai rubbed his eyes, hoping to relieve the blurriness from his vision.

Benson's eyes widened from shock before rounding on Mordecai.

"I never would've expected something like that from you. Did you even stop to think?" he asked.

"I could I think when I didn't even know I moved. It's like my mind took a break and my body took over. I already feel horrible about the whole situation," Mordecai said, holding his head in his hands.

"Mind taking this from the top?" Benson asked.

"Well, it started at the coffee shop..."

* * *

A/N: This chapter would've been done a day earlier, but you run into problems when you're typing on a PS3. Issues arose, and I lost everything I typed. But it's done and over with. Now, be prepared for longer spread updates because I'm getting back to my other story. Hope you liked this chapter and you're anticipating more.


	4. Chapter 4 - Confrontations

A/N: We're continuing the story and all that jazz. By the way, I realized I've been spelling Margaret's name wrong the whole time. lol. My bad, but hopefully I can avoid that later on.

* * *

"I hated that," Mordecai said, while rapidly pressing the buttons on the controller.

"Hated what? You're winning," Rigby said, pressing the buttons much more rigorously than Mordecai was.

"No, not that. This is nothing new," Mordecai said with a small smirk, but it quickly disappeared. "I'm talking about having to explain my personal life to Benson."

"Don't be a baby. It wasn't that bad," Rigby said.

"If you were in my situation, you'd understand," Mordecai said.

"Mordecai, no one has ever been in situations you have. Even Skips, and he's pretty much seen it all," Rigby said, tapping the buttons even more violently.

"Unfortunately, that's so true. Can't I live a drama free relationship?" Mordecai said.

"Nope. I remember high school. Remember Mary and Cathy?" Rigby said.

Mordecai shuddered.

"Hope it doesn't come down to that. This'll be even messier than that, considering CJ's a cloud being and all," Mordecai said.

"And both girls were sent to the infirmary after that cat fight. Half the school recorded it too. I believe that was your real 'ladies man' phase," Rigby said smirking, but quickly disappeared as he lost the game.

"It was only senior year. When I finally got the braces taken out. But I do remember one particular mole wanting to take you to the dance," Mordecai said smirking.

Rigby turned red and glared at his friend.

"I turned her down because I thought it would bad on my rep," Rigby said.

"We labeled ourselves 'The Outcasts of High School.' How can you possibly get a worse rep from that point?" Mordecai asked incredibly.

"Apparently chicks still digged you," Rigby said.

"Number 1, they were the jock's leftovers, and I was the sensitive type. They loved guys like that at Pine Hall. Second, I actually remembered the name of the girl I was dating," Mordecai said smirking and putting his feet on the table and hands behind his head.

"That was one time! You have never let me live it down!" Rigby exclaimed, throwing his hands up in an outrage. "You should have got out of your system when you laughed all week about it!"

"Well, it's renewed. And just as funny," Mordecai said, fighting a laugh back.

"What about the time you got the black eye for flirting with Stanfield's girl?" Rigby said smirking. Mordecai grimaced.

"Don't remind me. That was the last time I ever listen to rumors ever again. Wait, I am I worrying about my past relationships? That's why I'm in this mess in the first place!" Mordecai exclaimed. Rigby shrugged it off like he usually does.

"Just for the sake of it. Anyway, just get it over with. Choose one of them. You like one of them more, so pick that one," Rigby said bluntly.

"It's not that simple," Mordecai said.

"It actually is. You're making it harder because you're… well, you," Rigby said.

Mordecai sighed and stood up.

"I'm gonna get me a soda," Mordecai said, walking into the kitchen. He grabbed a soda and sat at the kitchen table.

"I think you need a round of McHooligan's bro," Muscle Man said, walking into the house. "You look bad."

"To be honest, I think so too. Can't things ever be easy on me for once?" Mordecai said, taking a long drag of the soda and wiping his mouth.

"Nope. Because like I said at the party: awkward," Muscle Man said.

"Thanks. That really reassures me," Mordecai said sarcastically. Muscle Man shrugged.

"Nothing I can really say that would help. Because I've never been in a situation like this. It's always been Starla and only her," Muscle Man said.

"Yeah, lucky you," Mordecai said bitterly. "Unfortunately, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place."

"You got two girls after you. That's major awesome points in my book!" Muscle Man exclaimed.

"Ah, there's the old Muscle Man. With the small-minded disposition that I remember," Mordecai said.

"Don't use words I don't understand!" Muscle Man exclaimed.

"What? Disposition?" Mordecai asked.

"Don't say it again!" Muscle Man exclaimed. "Anyway, why not just date both of them?"

"For one, I don't roll like that and neither do they. Second, I'd just feel like the biggest slime ball of all time," Mordecai said.

"To be honest, I'm not sure if I could do that to Starla either. But either way, you're screwed," Muscle Man said, walking out of the room. Mordecai sighed.

"Friggin' fate man. It doesn't like me at all," Mordecai said aloud.

"How was the conversation with Muscle Man?" Rigby asked.

"Pointless," Mordecai said simply.

"As usual, but we can't blame him for being stupid," Rigby said.

"I heard that!" Muscle Man yelled from outside.

"And he's got the ears of a dog," Rigby said.

"Shut up!" Muscle Man yelled.

Then there was a knock on the door and Mordecai went to answer it and it was someone he didn't expect in the least.

"CJ. Um… hey," Mordecai said awkwardly, swallowing a nervous lump in his throat. "Uh, come in."

"I'm only here because Eileen somehow convinced me to come over here," CJ said, walking in the house.

"You can feel the tension in the air," Rigby said, gesturing all around the room.

"Rigby, shut it. And out," Mordecai said through gritted teeth.

"Alright. You two work out your problems. I won't get in the way," Rigby said, going upstairs.

Mordecai sighed in relief that Rigby went upstairs so easily. But was suddenly rigid as he realized he didn't know what to say to her. Luckily, he wasn't the first one to speak.

"Did you lie to me?" CJ asked.

"About what?" Mordecai asked.

"About you not liking Margaret anymore. Was. It. A. _Lie?" _CJ said, stretching each word like a rubber band. The words hurt like one popped on his skin too.

"No, it wasn't a lie. I don't' think so at least. I don't know what to think. Everything was fine before all of this happened, then… it all crashed down," Mordecai explained.

"Just how much contact have you had with her?" CJ asked.

"None really. Around the time she left, I used a sweater she left behind as an excuse to go see her, but I decided to turn back around. Since then, I haven't seen or heard from her," Mordecai answered honestly.

"Then how did what happened at the party, happen?" CJ asked, her tone questioning.

"I wish I had the answers, but I don't. I never wanted to hurt you. That was a horrible mistake," Mordecai said, his voice full of guilt.

"I still can't help but think about what happened that night. I didn't want an explanation that justified what you did. I just didn't want to think about it at all," CJ said, her tone getting emotional.

"Nothing no one can say really can rationalize what I did. It's a boundary that you don't cross," Mordecai said. "Do you forgive me?"

"Part of me wants to, but the other half is screaming for me to punch you," CJ said.

"I'd deserve it. Go ahead if you want," Mordecai said.

"Alright," CJ said, socking him in the forehead.

"Ow! Wow, you can throw a punch," Mordecai said, rubbing the sore side of his head before grinning slightly. "Think I'll have brain damage for a while."

"Your brain's already damaged, you idiot. But that made me forgive you just a little," CJ said, smiling slightly.

"What do you mean by slightly?" Mordecai asked.

"I can tolerate you, but there's no way I'm going back down the relationship path. At least, not yet," CJ said. Mordecai nodded in understanding.

"That's for the best, because I _still _don't know what to do about Margaret," Mordecai said, leaning back and placing a hand on his forehead.

"You mean you haven't talked to her?" CJ asked, surprised.

"No. I've really been trying to avoid her at any means necessary. Mind you, it's not too bad. I still go out and stuff, but… yeah. I'm paranoid while out though," Mordecai said, grinning sheepishly.

"Lemme guess… ducking behind trash cans. Letting other people open doors first, that sort of thing?" CJ asked.

"Er…. kind of?" Mordecai said hesitantly.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" CJ said.

"Hah. You know me. Total idiot," Mordecai said, pointing at himself with both of this thumbs.

They both laughed at the same time and stared at each other for a minute. Things began to get awkward again.

"Uh, I'm gonna go," CJ said.

"Yeah. See you later?" Mordecai asked, holding out his hand.

"Yeah," CJ said, shaking it and swiftly leaving.

"If that wasn't the most awkward goodbye ever, I don't know what was," Rigby said, walking down the stairs.

"Of course you were listening," Mordecai said, collapsing on the couch.

"Hey, at least you know she doesn't hate you completely," Rigby said.

"At least I've got that much…" Mordecai said.

_Switching over to CJ's POV_

"Well, at least things aren't completely horrible between us anymore," CJ muttered to herself as she walked to her car.

"Hey, uh, CJ I think?" Muscle Man said.

"Yeah. What's up Muscle Man?" CJ asked.

"To be real with you, there are maybe some things you need to know before you think about getting back together with Mordecai," Muscle Man said. CJ frowned slightly, but she was definitely interested to hear what he had to say.

"Ok. And that is?" she asked.

"First, let me tell you a few things about Mordecai and Margaret. First of all, as soon as Mordecai saw her, it's like he had a drive to win her heart, which I could respect. At times, it really got really pathetic, but that's how Mordecai worked. We even put a bet on him as motivation, but even that didn't work. Margaret dated a lot, so that caused Mordecai to back off a little until she stopped dating for a while. I guess at one point, they sealed the deal when Mordecai came home happier than any of us had ever seen him. He even managed to win the respect of her dad, which, according from Rigby, is a impossible feat to do if you're dating Margaret. Apparently, it involved both of them jumping of out of a helicopter. The fact that they shook hands saved their life, according to the doctor, so he obviously impressed him, but he was in a full body cast for weeks after that. Then things got real. Margaret left for college after a few weeks and I tell you this. I've never seen anything sadder than the way Mordecai was after that. He was depressed for weeks on end and he would just randomly burst into tears at times. Honestly, it was one thing that no one would want to see no matter who you are. You couldn't help but feel sorry for him. All of us kind of helped him through it and eventually we got him back to his old self. Now, it took him until New Year's to even think about dating someone else. The girl was using him to win back her ex, so that backfired. Then he met you at the party and... you know the rest," Muscle Man said in a long rant.

CJ was a giant mixing bowl of emotions right now. Pity, amazement, and shock. Pity from the period of depression, amazement from the lengths he went just to impress her father, and shock from... well, just about everything. Unbelievable the lengths he will go for one person.

_"Not unbelievable. He jumped in front of a rocket to save you, remember?" she_ thought.

"So you might want to think about all that stuff before you jump to conclusions. Mordecai's a bro, so I don't want him making the wrong choice. He likes who he likes, and even he can't help that, much less you two," Muscle man explained.

"That's certainly something to think about. Thanks," CJ said, her voice subdued.

"No problem. Now, I'm off to help prepare the best wedding ever. See you later," Muscle Man said, walking off.

"Why does one blue jay have to be so complicated?" CJ said, getting in her car and driving off.

* * *

A/N: Done, and I think it was a job well done. Longest chapter in the story so far, and I hope this makes up for the small interval of updates. Anyway, next chapter coming whenever. Catch ya later!


	5. Chapter 5 - An Old Friend

A/N: Ok, for one this is a lot earlier than usual, but I got another chapter already done for my other story, so I have time to upload this more. I don't want the updates on my other story to be too frequent(for reasons that are unknown to me), but on this I don't care. There are people who are actually showing they want to see more (i.e Ihopeyoulove18. Thanks for the support man!) I'm not getting too much of that on the other story, so I'll keep this going as often as I can. Enough of that! Time to continue!

* * *

Mordecai's happiness significantly began to grow as the days rolled by. The fact that CJ didn't completely hate him anymore brought a considerate skip back to his step.

"You're too happy," Rigby said. "Come on! It's not like you're dating again!"

"No, it's not that, but I don't feel like the biggest jerk on Jerk Alley, and that's good enough reason to celebrate in my book," Mordecai said cheerfully, holding a trash bag in his left hand.

"What about Margaret? Have you forgotten you still have to make things clear with her?" Rigby said.

"Way ahead of you. I already asked Eileen to send her over here so we can get things cleared up. Christmas was just an accident. We got caught up in the memories and stuff," Mordecai said, starting to swing the bag.

"Whatever you say man," Rigby muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mordecai asked, dropping the trash bag and crossing his arms.

"Nothing. You do what you want to do," Rigby said.

Mordecai watched his friend with an apprehensive eye before picking up the trash and tossing it in the dumpster.

"Why do you bother coming with me to the trash? It's not like you help me carry anything," Mordecai said, clapping his hands together to get the dust off.

"I helped you with the trash before," Rigby argued.

"Yeah. Once. Even then, you dropped it, raised you hands in the air yelling, 'This is too hard!'" Mordecai said while laughing. "How many times have you said 'This it too hard', I will never know."

"I don't say it that often," Rigby said.

Mordecai stopped walking, crossed his arms, and looked Rigby straight in the eye with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you _really _want to go down that road?" he asked.

"Never mind," Rigby mumbled.

"Hmm-hmm. Thought so. Anyway, we still got the gutters to clean. And I'm getting the hose, since you do nothing with it," Mordecai said.

"Remember that one time I hosed the stuff off the house?" Rigby corrected.

"Not all of it because we found that stupid 'Summertime' song, and that was only once. Since I actually do the work, I'm going to make this as quick as I can. You can play with it after I'm done, I don't care," Mordecai said, waving a dismissive hand at his friend.

"Nah, if we don't have to work, I'd rather play video games," Rigby said.

"Of course you would," Mordecai said, predicting that answer.

"Like you don't goof off when you're working," Rigby retorted.

"But not as much as you. A few times a week for me, but everyday is a bit much. That's why I had to vouch for you to even get this job in the first place. I'm actually thinking about going back to school," Mordecai said, remembering his dream 2 days ago.

"You're not serious about that," Rigby said, taking his friend's words for bluff.

"Nah, I'm thinking about actually going back to school. Art school I guess was a little too narrow on the opportunities list. I may be able to get into college here," Mordecai said.

"Come on man! Are you really going to do a Margaret on me?" Rigby said.

Mordecai visibly flinched. That memory still stung a bit.

"You'll still see me everyday. Just not in the evenings," Mordecai said.

"You're seriously going to do this?" Rigby asked.

"If I can get things started, yeah. Might be able to get a better job too," Mordecai said.

"Where is this coming from? Why the sudden need to go back to _school _of all things?" Rigby said, saying the word with distaste.

"Because this is my chance to do something better. Some things made me think about how downhill my life went. You know I didn't even finish a year of art school?" Mordecai said.

"Yeah. I remember. Because you told me you dropped out. Then we went to apply here and this is where we ended up," Rigby said, gesturing all around the park.

"In a dead-end job that we're probably going to be working for the rest of our lives. I don't want that. The park is home and all, but I want to do more than this," Mordecai said.

"So you're really going to leave me here?" Rigby said angrily.

"Could you be my friend and support my decision? I know you don't have to like it, but at least support me man. We're bros, and nothing is going to change that. Not even another job," Mordecai explained.

"A bro wouldn't leave me here!" Rigby exclaimed.

"Look, how many times do I have to…" Mordecai stopped himself and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Look, this is going to happen. If I can do better than this place, I will do it. No guilt trip you try to pull on me will change that. I suggest you get over yourself and get used to the possibility that I won't be here to do the work. You know, because I'm pretty sure that's the only reason you want me around." Mordecai then left with a bitter disposition and walked out of the gates of the park.

Rigby was slightly stunned at the bitterness his friend addressed him with.

"He's right you know," Skips said, walking in the from the kitchen.

"Were you listening?" Rigby asked.

"I was in the kitchen and could hear every word you said and paid attention, so yes. I was listening," Skips said, taking a sip from the cup in his hands. "You think he wants to leave?"

"How could he not with the way he said that stuff. Is working here really that bad?" Rigby said.

"I've worked here for decades, and I understand how straining all the stuff that happens here can take a toll on you. But I'm sure that's not why he wants to leave," Skips explained.

"Why does he want to leave? Because I have no idea," Rigby said.

"I believe it's because of Margaret," Skips said.

"Her again?! Really?!" Rigby asked, throwing his hands up.

"Yes, but not in the way you might think. I've heard that Mordecai dropped out of art school and then filled out an application to work here. I believe he had aspirations to become a professional artist. Get paid well for his work and become a noticeable face. But he dropped out and that broke the dream apart. Margaret was a painful reminder that she left everything she had ever known here to achieve her aspirations. Mordecai felt as if he could never do that to you, so I also think that's why he hasn't tried to go back to school sooner," Skips explained.

"So I'm the reason that kept him from going back? What changed?" Rigby said.

"Well, he's not moving far away from you and all of his friends. He's only about a half-hour away to get his education, and he'll have a job here in the city so he won't leave anyone behind. This day has been coming for a while now. I think it's long overdue. Also, it was horrible on your part not to support Mordecai's decision," Skips said, his tone getting more disapproving.

"Why? I don't like it. I just kept it real," Rigby said.

"You don't have to like it, but you could've told him you were supportive. What's the difference between doing either? He believes it was for the selfish reason that you wouldn't have to do any work if he were still here. So, I can't really blame him for being upset with you," Skips explained.

Rigby felt a rush of guilt. No wonder he left so bitterly.

"I didn't mean to do that! I just didn't like the fact that he was going to pull a Margaret on me!" Rigby exclaimed.

"That's not what he's doing. What do you think he has to do in order to pay for college? He still has to work here. College isn't free. Even after he graduates, he'll still be in the city. Just not living in this house anymore. That's why he's not 'Pulling a Margaret' as you call it. Because he's conscious about this decision. But he's not going to talk to you anytime soon unless you apologize. Don't bother trying now. He needs to cool off," Skips explained.

"Yeah ok," Rigby said, before silently muttering, "I'm sorry man."

* * *

"Darn it man, you're making this harder than it already is," Mordecai said, rubbing his temples.

Mordecai made his way down to the library and looking at books on college level algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Never hurts to prepare if he does get accepted.

"Mordecai?!" a voice exclaimed.

He looked up to see a familiar person he saw in art school.

"Stacey? Never expected to see you again," Mordecai said, surprised.

"I never expected to see you either. Least of all in a library," she said grinning.

Mordecai sheepishly scratched his head. He never was big on books.

"Yeah, I'm only doing this because I planned on going back to school," Mordecai said.

"You're going back to school? You've changed," Stacey said, her expression amazed.

"In this case, change is good. You want to catch up sometimes?" Mordecai asked.

"That would be great. Uh, Cheezers?" she asked.

"That would be great. Uh, if I don't have any work to do, uh, would tomorrow at noon work?" Mordecai asked, praying to God something inconvenient wouldn't happen.

"That works. Now, I'll leave you to your studying," Stacey said.

"Thanks," Mordecai said, going back to his book.

Mordecai's mind began to fry as he sat there, looking through the thousand plus page books over and over and over again, trying to memorize it so he'd have it down to memory. The urge to fall asleep was getting so bad, he'd collapse before he got home and literally take a dirt nap.

Mordecai stood up and walked around and got water to help with the drowsiness.

Hours seemed to have passed, and it was taking all of Mordecai's self control not to leave right now.

Then when he felt satisfied enough that he could memorize the book word/number for word/number, he put the books and went online and looked at information about the Twin Pines college. Luckily, they accepted drop-outs if they worked hard within the first month of school, but the textbooks were crazy expensive. All together, they were $780. And that was just for the one year!

To support himself for the other 4 years, he would need $3120! Mordecai's head spun from the amount. He only had about $80. He was going to be working overtime for years before he had enough money to get support himself in college. Luckily because he worked at the park, the food and living arrangements were not a problem, but he needed money. And the park wasn't the best source of income. He needed another job. And he had a good idea of where to go. But first he needed to talk to Benson.

* * *

A/N: Mordo's going back to college. Unfortunately, college ain't cheap, and Mordecai's not rich. Next time… well, use your imagination as to what's going to happen. Also, another longer chapter. I'm proud of myself. Until next time.


	6. Chapter 6 - New Job

A/N: Not really too much to say other than the fact I think I've put off the Margaret meeting long enough. Hope you're ready. :)

* * *

"Uh Benson, could I talk to you?" Mordecai said.

"What are you trying to buy now?" Benson asked, not even looking up from his papers.

"Er, textbooks," Mordecai said, scratching his head.

Benson swiftly looked up from his papers. Whatever he expected Mordecai to say, it certainly wasn't that.

"You must be pulling my leg," he said.

"Uh, no. I actually want to get back to college, but it's not cheap. The textbooks are over three thousand dollars for the entire 4 years, and I don't have anywhere near that amount," Mordecai explained.

"Neither do I. This park isn't exactly swimming in money. Why'd you come to me with this?" Benson asked, looking back down at his papers.

"I didn't expect you to give me the money. I just wanted to know if I could switch my hours over 8:00 PM? Because those are the hours I'm not going to be working if I can get that job at the coffee shop," Mordecai explained.

Benson again looked up quickly, eyes widened. He and Rigby didn't normally want to do their work here, but Mordecai's talking about working from day until night? He must be serious about this.

"Alright. If you can get your work for the day done before the day starts or the night beforehand, you are allowed to keep these hours. They are pretty irregular from the park's original hours, but I'm willing to work with you," Benson said. Mordecai sighed in relief.

"Thanks Benson. I'm really trying to make this happen. It would take me forever on the income of a hundred and twenty bucks a week," Mordecai said. (Yes I took the 5 Nights at Freddy's income. Don't judge me)

"No problem. But how does Rigby feel about this whole thing?" Benson asked. Mordecai's expression quickly turned into a bitter one.

"I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled.

"That bad?" Benson asked, raising a knowing eyebrow.

"Very. Wish me luck on the job application," Mordecai said, walking out of the door.

He grabbed the cart and began to drive toward the coffee shop.

Then there was the sign he saw in the window for the longest: "Waiter/Waitress needed. Salary: Ten dollars an hour for a full day's work of fifteen hours. Vacation days depend on how well you work."

Mordecai quickly went over the details in his mind. That's one thousand and fifty dollars a week a week and forty-hundred dollars a month. He'd have enough money for one year in a week. This would work perfectly. Mordecai walked inside and knocked on the door.

"Come in," a voice said.

Mordecai was about to walked inside, when he remembered he had never seen the person who owns this place.

"Um... hello?" Mordecai said, walking into a faintly lit room. There was a desk right across from the doorway and a man was inside, arms crossed and head down.

"You actually here about the job?" the man asked.

"Um... yes sir," Mordecai said, his apprehension growing.

"You're hired," the man said simply.

"Wait, it's that easy?" Mordecai asked in disbelief.

"Well, considering no one applies for the job anyway, more help, no matter how good or bad it may be, is always a big help. What's your name?" the man asked.

"Mordecai."

"Well Mordecai, grab a uniform, and get to work," the man said, gesturing to a long hallway of uniforms. It seems like he had one for every size and shape.

Mordecai grabbed one that looked like it would fit him and walked outside. The uniform turned out to be strangely comfortable. Like he was lying in his two mattress bed the whole time. He felt like he could fall asleep standing up in this.

Mordecai walked out of the back room stretching his arms and facing Eileen.

"Mordecai? You work here now?" Eileen asked, her expression shocked.

"Uh, yeah. I needed some extra money and I decided to work here," Mordecai said.

"But it's from 6 AM to 8 PM. Doesn't that interfere with your job at the park? Oh, don't tell me you quit," Eileen said, her expression slightly fearful.

"No, of course I didn't quit. While this job may be good, it won't instantly give the income for an apartment. No, I just asked Benson could I work during the night rather during the day and he granted me that," Mordecai explained.

"Well, that's good, but why are you working here? You never decided to work here before," Eileen said.

"Well, I've decided to go to Twin Pines college, but it's not cheap," Mordecai said, recalling the prices.

"You're going to college? What changed that made you decide to go back to school.? From what Rigby told me, you dropped out of art school," Eileen said.

"Rigby seems to tell everyone that," Mordecai said through gritted teeth. "But I dropped out because I slacked off and my performance suffered for it. I figured that I couldn't handle it, so I took the easy way out and dropped out. But now I realize that this is not how I want to spend the rest of my life. Living in someone else's home for the rest of my life, working at minimum wage. When you start to think about things, you decide to make a change."

"Well, I'm proud for you making that decision, but how does everyone else feel about it?" Eileen asked.

"Only Rigby and Benson know. Benson was understanding, but... Rigby hated the idea," Mordecai said, his tone bitter again.

"Of course he would hate it. His best friend's going away," Eileen reasoned.

"I'm not going away. I would understand it more if I was going to another state to go to college, but I'm not. I'm staying here in the city so he doesn't have to go through that. He just won't see me as often because of my college work. I told him things would not change between us, but he seems to be acting like the selfish turd from high school," Mordecai said, his tone getting louder. But he took a deep breath to calm himself. "Look, even he is unable to talk me out of this, so don't you even bother to try."

"I wasn't. I do understand why you want this," Eileen said. Mordecai nodded in satisfaction.

"Thanks for understanding. Now, is this place always empty?" Mordecai asked.

"Every once in a while, but most days it gets insanely busy. You joined on a good day. It's hard trying to service everyone when you're the only one in here," Eileen said.

"Yeah, I bet. Well, at least I'll get some exercise," Mordecai said, jokingly jogging in place. Eileen laughed at his antics.

"You're in a good mood, strangely enough," Eileen said.

"Well, the fact that I know CJ doesn't completely hate me now is very uplifting," Mordecai said.

"You talked to her?" Eileen asked, raising both her eyebrows.

"Yup, and things are good. They aren't what they were before, but good," Mordecai said cheerfully.

"When you say you two aren't what you were before..."

"We aren't in a relationship anymore. Yes Eileen, I need to figure this out first. I got that," Mordecai said knowingly.

She smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. You know I have to check with you, Mr. Stubborn," Eileen said.

"Stubborn? Me?" Mordecai said, feigning shock. "Surely you jest."

"I'd say... Oh, wow," Eileen suddenly said, turning the other direction.

"Wow, wha-" Mordecai said, turning around. "Oh, hey Margaret."

There was that particular cardinal that Mordecai needed to talk to.

"Hey, Mordecai. G-Good to see you," Margaret said, her voice sounding nervous.

Mordecai furrowed his eyebrows in concern.

"You alright? You look nervous about something. I promise I won't bite. Probably," Mordecai joked, smiling widely.

The last thing Mordecai expected after that was for Margaret to run out of the shop.

"Margaret?" Mordecai called, but she was already gone. "What was that?" (Hey, I didn't say how long they would talk. *Insert troll face here*)

"I still don't think she's ready to talk," Eileen said.

"I guess, but it wasn't necessary to run out of the room. Made it look like she saw a ghost," Mordecai said.

"Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and a possible Future," Eileen mumbled at a volume that Mordecai was unable to hear.

"Anyway, so we're getting paid to just stand here right now. Anything to do around here?" Mordecai asked.

"Uh, just the TV. It's just like yours at the park," Eileen said.

"Cool," Mordecai said, turning the TV on.

He flipped through the channels, but nothing was on that interested him. Eileen was wiping the counters when Mordecai decide to bring up a topic that interested him.

"So what's up with the boss?" Mordecai asked.

"No one really knows. I get my paycheck through the mail and I never saw his face. It weirds me out, but I learned to ignore it," Eileen explained. "He still pays even for the days no one comes in the shop. As long as we're in here, we get paid."

"Well, that's awesome. So I'll have an easy first day. That's more than I can say when I applied for the park. I was nearly killed by a black hole that spawned from me and Rigby tying 100 times in a row on Rock, Paper, Scissors," Mordecai explained.

"How is it even possible to tie 100 times in a row?" Eileen asked.

"Don't know, but we hardly ever tie anymore. If this day is gonna be chill, I'm going to enjoy every minute of it," Mordecai said.

"You and me both. Should we get CJ and Rigby over here?" Eileen asked.

Mordecai fixed here with a stare that said, 'Are you kidding me?'

"Ok, just CJ then. You're going to have to talk to him sooner or later," Eileen said.

"I'll pick later when I get back to the house. I'd rather not end up punching Rigby today, even though I do it most days of the week," Mordecai said.

"All right, I'll call her," Eileen said, walking toward a far corner before making the call. Mordecai then remember what happened with Margaret and shook his head.

"What's with you Margaret?" he muttered in thought.

* * *

A/N: This was meant to be uploaded a lot sooner, but I got lazy. But anyway, I'm sure all of you are used to it, right? Anyway, next chapter is uploaded whenever. Peace. PS: Sorry for being a troll about the Margaret thing, but I had to do it. :)


	7. Chapter 7 - First Day on the Job

A/N: Also, if you're curious as to how many chapters there will be, even I don't know. This is all coming to me as I go along, so anything could happen. Expect the pairing at the end. I know exactly what it's going to be. Pray I choose the one you want. Anyway, onward and up!(On a Tuesday)

* * *

After the day shift was over, and very few customers came in, Mordecai went home and got his share of the work done at the park. He wasn't exhausted because he didn't have to do work, so it was relatively effortless to do.

Mordecai walked in the house when it was almost 9 and he planned on going straight to bed in time for work tomorrow. But he saw Rigby waiting on the couch. Not playing video games or watching TV. Just…. sitting there.

"I'll bite. What are you doing?" Mordecai asked.

"I need to talk to you. Look man, I'm sorry about yesterday. I really just think you were just leaving all of us," Rigby said. Mordecai had to face palm at his friend's words.

"Need I remind you how much I stressed the fact that I'm not going away? You just won't see me as often because of the work that I have to do. Because that's the life of a college student. I spent 4 years wasting my time with a low wage job when at this point I could've already graduated and got a better job. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret the people I've met, but it's just…"

"You don't have to explain anything. I was the one acting like a turd, remember?" Rigby said.

"Yes I remember. And when don't you act like a turd?" Mordecai asked, smiling.

"Don't try to tell me you don't act turdish at times?" Rigby said.

"I'm not going to say that. Though you are way worse than me," Mordecai said.

"Whatever. So are we good?" Rigby said.

"Yeah, we're good. But I need to get to bed though," Mordecai said, going up the stairs.

"What?! It's not even 9 yet!" Rigby exclaimed.

"New job, remember?" Mordecai said.

"Aw that's jank! Even Benson gives us till 9 to get to work," Rigby complained.

"Well I have to get to work at 6. Sorry, but I don't have much time for slacking anymore," Mordecai said, going up the stairs. Instead of his alarm being set to 8:30, he switched it to 5:30. He then collapsed on his bed and fell asleep 10 minutes later.

When his alarm went off, Mordecai practically pounded the alarm before trying to get up. He rubbed his eyes to relieve the itch and stretched to try and relieve some of that morning soreness. He performed his morning proclivities: shower, teeth, and breakfast. He then put on his uniform and walked out of the door at 5:56. He took the cart and drove to the coffee shop and was stopped in his tracks when he walked in. The place was _packed. _Not only was every seat taken, but there was a line that led outside. Mordecai jolted himself out of his shock got behind the counter to help.

"How do this many people get up this early?" Mordecai asked as he prepared the coffee machine. At least some skill came out of working with a crazy coffee bean and his even crazier translator.

"The same way we do. Because of our jobs," Eileen said, grabbing 2 trays and running to the tables.

"Oh, this sucks man," Mordecai said, grabbing the mug and pouring coffee into cups. "Uh, how many cups of coffee?"

"Twenty, but you'll have to make another pot for them all," Eileen yelled across the room. "I saved you some time by putting all of the sugar and all the stuff on all of the tables."

"Thanks," Mordecai said, moving his hands furiously trying to grab everything. He put all four cups for one table on the tray and gave them to one table before having to go to the other tables.

"Where's my coffee?!" a man yelled.

"It's coming! Please be patient," Mordecai said politely while making another pot of coffee.

"While that's being made, can you help me get these trays out to everyone?" Eileen asked.

"Sure," Mordecai said, grabbing 6 trays and balancing them on top of each other. Eileen tagged them all with the specific table they need to go to.

_"Thank you for that," _Mordecai thought as he dashed around the place.

He passed them all out before heading back and grabbing six more trays and passed those out.

"How does she do this by herself is beyond me," Mordecai said, as sweat began dripping down his face as he went back to the coffee pot and started pouring the cups again.

As soon as one of the tables was cleared out, it was instantly filled again. Mordecai sighed. This was going to be a while before everyone was done. And this is how it was for the next _hour. _They had to go back to back to back for an hour straight for all of the customers to clear out. It took an hour because more started showing up. By the time they all left, Mordecai was on the floor, panting and sweating. Eileen was still on her feet, but breathing heavily.

"That… was…. _horrible,_" Mordecai said.

"Be lucky. That was... an easy day," Eileen said.

_"Easy?" _Mordecai wheezed out with as much emphasis as he could.

"A lot of people... don't go anywhere this early on a Saturday, but a lot of them do. But even more people… have to get up early on a Monday. Better prepare yourself for Monday, because this place is going to be even more packed when that day comes," Eileen explained.

Mordecai groaned. This was not how he saw this job going.

"Come on. Get up. We have to clean this place up," Eileen said, shaking Mordecai.

Mordecai stood on his sore legs and shook his sore arms. Eileen handed him cleaner and a washcloth.

"You handle the tables. I'll mop the floors," she said.

Mordecai looked the tables. It looked like people were spilling more coffee than they were drinking. Mordecai had to really push his arms to keep going.

"So, is that it?" Mordecai asked after he finished the tables. Eileen had already finished the floors when Mordecai finished.

"For now. They'll be back by night, though in not as many numbers. Though it'll guarantee you'll go home exhausted," Eileen said.

"Fantastic. Can I make a breakfast run?" Mordecai asked.

"Where are you going?" Eileen asked.

"Pancake Planet," Mordecai said.

"Hold on. I have some cash. I want a few pancakes. I didn't have a chance to eat this morning," Eileen said, digging into her pockets. "Oh, wash your hands first. I don't want the smell of cleaner all on my food."

"Noted," Mordecai said after sniffing his hands and reeling back from how strong the smell was. He went back into the kitchen and washed his hands and dried them before heading back and grabbing the $5 Eileen gave him along with some change.

"I want three pancakes. That's for the tax," Eileen said.

"Alright. I just hope I don't get docked for this," Mordecai said.

"Don't worry, I'm covering for you. The boss is cool about that," Eileen said, making Mordecai sigh in relief.

"Oh, that's a relief. I'll be back as soon as I can," he said, walking to the cart.

"Hey Mordecai," CJ said, walking past.

"Oh, hey. I've always wondered this job pays so well. Because it could potentially kill you," Mordecai breathed out.

"You work at the coffee shop now? What made you do that?" CJ said.

"Trying to go back to college, and it's not cheap. It would take me years on the park's salary, so I'm working here. I work nights at the park and I work the entire day at the coffee shop. This morning was rough," Mordecai explained.

"Yeah, I've been there on a Monday. I pity how much running around you'll be doing. But it's a good thing you're going back to school. I know Rigby didn't finish high school, but you did and even attempted to go to art school, but that didn't work out," CJ said.

"No. Because I got lazy and dropped out. Real smart of me when I had a scholarship to the place. I didn't have to pay a cent, but now I have to nearly break my limbs trying to keep up with the customers that come in here," Mordecai said with a resentful tone.

"Better late than never. Anyway, where are you heading now?" CJ asked.

"Pancake Planet. I'm making a breakfast run for the both of us while Eileen's holding down the fort as it were," Mordecai said, getting in the cart.

"I'll join you. I'm pretty hungry this morning myself," CJ said, getting in the cart.

"When aren't you hungry?" Mordecai joked, driving off.

"Nice to meet you black pot. I'm a black kettle," CJ said, gesturing between the two of them.

"Ok, ok, I admit, I can be a little..."

"Gluttonous?" CJ said smiling.

"I don't overindulge. I have a fast metabolism," Mordecai argued.

"That's what they all say. I have yet to see medical proof," CJ said, elbowing his stomach.

Mordecai reeled back and swerved the cart slightly before straightening out.

"Are you trying to kill us?" Mordecai asked with a glare.

"Not my fault you can handle a nudge," CJ said.

"A nudge I can handle. Keeping the cart straight while being nudged is a challenge," Mordecai said, his attention focused on the road.

"Fine then. No more nudging. So how have you been?" CJ asked.

"Taking one day at a time. You?" Mordecai asked.

"Eh, pretty good. Just started dating someone else..."

Mordecai suddenly hit the brakes on the cart and swiftly turned his head turned toward CJ.

"WHAT?!" Mordecai yelled.

"I'm kidding! Now who's trying to kill us? That car in the back nearly hit us," CJ said, jerking a thumb toward the honking car. Mordecai started driving, though with a slight apprehension.

"You know you can't joke about things like that. I take stuff like that seriously," Mordecai said.

"Why so serious?" CJ said, grinning.

"Because if you know me at all, you know I take stuff like that seriously. And I don't like it, even though you are fully within your rights to do so," Mordecai said, his tone becoming resentful again.

"Are you done hating yourself so we can move on with our lives? I don't hate you, so why are you hating you?" CJ asked.

"You may, for some strange reason are able to get over what I did, but I can't. Because it messes with my mind as far as any type of faithfulness is concerned," Mordecai said.

"You don't know why you did it and yet you're resentful about it. In all honesty, that's dumb," CJ said.

"I _know _it's dumb, but welcome to my life," Mordecai said, parking the cart. "Well, we're here, and luckily, the line isn't long. Let's get our food and get out."

"Could you loosen up a bit? Feel like I'm making a breakfast run with my uptight boss," CJ said.

"I am not uptight! I just need to get back to work," Mordecai said.

"See? Uptight," CJ said.

"You're too down-tight," Mordecai retorted.

"That's not even a thing!" CJ exclaimed. "Now you're just not making sense."

"That's the point," Mordecai said, walking up to the counter.

"All of that time away from me must've fried your brain," CJ said, waving her hand over his head similar to a fan.

"My brain is perfectly raw, thank you very much. What are you getting?" Mordecai asked.

"Um..."

"Just how many times am I going to meet you in a row?" Stacey said from behind the counter.

"You work at Pancake Planet?" Mordecai said surprised.

"Officially a week ago. Because they offered me free pancakes on Saturdays along with a paycheck. So this your girlfriend? I must say you've grown up since the last time I saw you," Stacey said.

"No, we're not dating. I screwed that up majorly," Mordecai said.

"I don't even want to know about another Mordecai epic failure. We still meeting today?" Stacey said.

Mordecai smacked his forehead in idiocy.

"Ok, how'd you screw up now?" Stacey asked.

"He has to work the rest of the day, hence the uniform he's wearing. I guess he forgot that you would have work," CJ clarified.

"Another epic fail, am I right?" Mordecai said, still holding his forehead.

"Majorly. So when are you _actually _free?" Stacey asked.

"Depends on when I can get a day off. I only just got the job," Mordecai said, scratching the back of his head. "Er, sorry I screwed up."

"Ah, I'm used to it from you. Anyway, what are you ordering?" Stacey asked.

"Whatever she's getting, one three pancake platter, and one ten pancake platters," Mordecai said.

"Why not just order thirteen of them?" Stacey asked.

Mordecai rolled his eyes.

"They're not both for me. The other is for a friend. Don't think you presume to know me," he said.

"I do know you. Well, at least I did before. So how about..." Stacey said, writing on a piece of paper and handing it to Mordecai. "... you call me when you figure out when you're actually free?"

Mordecai blushed a little at how it sounded, but he took the number.

"Well, hopefully I can figure out when I won't have to work, but you might be waiting a while," he said.

"I got time," Stacey said, grabbing bags from a co-worker behind her. "Well, here's your food and you owe me a call mister."

"You'll get it. Bye," Mordecai said, grabbing the bags and exiting the shop.

"Ok, the tension between you two was thick enough where you couldn't cut it with a knife. Actually, more like a bone saw," CJ said, looking through her bag and checking to make sure everything was there. "Ex?"

"Art school partner. We never dated, though people told me I should," Mordecai said, placing the bags in the back of the cart.

"If you did, we possibly wouldn't be where we are now," CJ said.

Mordecai flinched and nearly took the wheel off in the process.

"Possibly," he said, his hands turning white on the steering wheel.

"I didn't mean it like-"

"It's ok. I understand," Mordecai said, his voice quiet.

"You know I hate when you act all solemn. Like you just got back from a funeral," CJ exclaimed.

"Until everything is completely wrapped up, what you see is what you get," Mordecai said, focusing on the road.

CJ sighed and the rest of the trip was silent.

As soon as they got to the coffee shop, Mordecai instantly hopped up and got his food inside, but to his displeasure there were more customers. His limbs still haven't calmed down from the morning run.

"Hold this please," he said to CJ before having to go to work.

He started waiting tables again back to back to back. Making coffee, pour it, serve it. Rinse and repeat for the next few minutes. It wasn't nearly as long as this morning, but was enough to get the soreness in his limbs going again. Of course, to Mordecai's displeasure, one of the customers wasn't interested in the coffee at all. Rather, his focus was on CJ.

The urge to smack his head into the desk was strong, but he knew he had no grounds to do that. So after pretty much everyone else was gone, he handed Eileen her breakfast and ate his an attempt to focus on something else. It was hardly working.

CJ had the strange feeling you get when someone is watching you and when she turned around, that particular feeling was right. Guaranteed, he was rather handsome to her, but it was still creepy.

"Can I help you?" she asked, turning around and crossing her arms.

"How are you doing?" he asked

"Fine. Uncomfortable that you're staring at me. Either say something, or stop staring before you lose your eyes," CJ said. He smiled with all the charm of a shark before speaking.

"You want to go out? I mean, if you're not dating someone already," the man said.

CJ stole a glance at Mordecai. He was looking directly at his food, but she could see the expression on his face. If his stare had heat on it, his food would be cinders. And the desk. And the entire building. But he's holding back because he knows he has no right to interfere.

"Not interested," CJ said simply.

She could see the veins in Mordecai's neck retract a little. Not much, but it was something.

The man shrugged.

"Alright. If you change your mind…"

"I'm sure I won't," CJ said with a bit of emphasis.

"Don't pop a blood vessel," Eileen said to Mordecai.

"It's still strange to me. I had the feeling to bash the guy's face into the table," Mordecai said.

"At least you know self-control. You act like you didn't see this possibility coming," Eileen said.

"I was either to stupid not to or I ignored it. Either way, this situation is not going well for me," Mordecai said.

"You haven't been trying to figure this out, have you? This is not only affecting you. Whether you know it or not, Margaret and CJ are waiting for an answer. One or the other," Eileen said.

"You don't think I know that? Part of me is trying to _avoid _thinking about this because the answer may not be the best one," Mordecai said.

_"Is _there a such thing as 'the best one?' There is no 'best one.' It is what it is. It's CJ or Margaret. Simple," Eileen said.

"Simple is not the same thing as easy," Mordecai said, his hands rubbing his forehead.

"You need a push, because you're not going to do make this discovery on your own," Eileen said, hand under her chin. "You said there's someone named Skips that helps with a bunch of your problems. Maybe he can help with this one."

"How could he possibly help me with this?" Mordecai asked.

"You never know. If you won't ask him, I will, cause this is getting ridiculous," Eileen said, crossing her arms.

"I'm not asking him that. That'll just feel plain weird," Mordecai said.

"Then I definitely wi-" Eileen cut herself off as yelling suddenly popped up. CJ's voice in particular. And it was directed at the man from earlier.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Mordecai asked walking up to the two. Personally, he was asking for an excuse to knock this guy flat on his butt.

"Nothing. He's just been badgering me a little too much and it's annoying me to no end. I guess he doesn't take rejection well," CJ said.

"No, I don't. Persistence is one of my best qualities," the man said.

"Well, right now, it's one of your most annoying ones," CJ snapped.

"Sir, if you can't stop messing with the customers, we're going to have to ask you to leave," Eileen said.

"You can ask me to leave, but that doesn't mean I will," the man said defiantly.

"You will leave willingly or I will _make _you," Mordecai threatened.

"Really? How are you gonna make _me _leave, toothpick?" the man said, flexing. Mordecai had to admit. He looked strong.

"Oh, like this," Mordecai said, grabbing the man by the back of his jacket and throwing him out of the shop.

When Mordecai came back, he could see both Eileen and CJ doubled over in laughter. Mordecai even had to smile and how little effort that took.

"There's an expression that comes to mind here. Not putting your money where your mouth is," he said, placing a coin on top of his beak.

The door opened again and the guy he threw out came back again.

"You only did that because I wasn't ready," he said.

Mordecai pretended to check a watch.

"Are you ready now?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" the man asked.

Mordecai got up, grabbed him by his jacket, and threw him out again. Somehow, the two women managed to laugh even harder at this. Mordecai dusted his hands and went to go sit back down, but the guy came back again. This time Mordecai lost his patience.

"Listen, if you don't get out and stay out, I'm going to call the cops. Which would you rather take?" Mordecai asked, taking his phone out.

The man finally seemed to take the hint and left. Mordecai threw his hands up in his signature outrage. Well, his and Rigby's.

"Are there always stubborn d-bags like that?" Mordecai asked.

"Every once in a while, but not too often. Unfortunately, I can't handle them like that," Eileen said, smiling widely. "Well, we got about eight hours to kill and we don't have too many customers until a few minutes before 8, so any ideas of how to kill time?"

"I got nothing," Mordecai said.

"Me neither," CJ said.

The door opened again, and Mordecai closed his eyes tightly. If it was the same guy, he was going to punch him so hard. But it was only Rigby.

"Hey man," Mordecai said, holding out his fist.

"Hey. Just wondering how things are going here," Rigby said, hitting Mordecai's fist.

"Fine. Had to throw out a douche a while ago, but that's about it," Mordecai said.

"Why didn't you tell me? I would've recorded it!" Rigby said with excitement.

"It just happened two minutes ago. I wouldn't have had time to get you," Mordecai said.

"I'm upset that I missed it though. Hey Eileen. CJ," Rigby said neutrally.

"Hey Rigby," they said simultaneously.

"How's the park?" Mordecai asked.

"Harder because you're not there. I hated mowing the lawn," Rigby said.

"Christmas is in two days. How is the weather in a state where the grass can even grow?" Mordecai asked. (Ok, fact is, that was a Christmas party. Not actually Christmas, so therefore that didn't actually happen on Christmas. Just sayin)

"You think I know? Anyway, you got the trash and the dishes waiting for you when you get back ," Rigby said.

"Thanks for the heads up. I guess Benson gave you the long and hard jobs because I got this job, right?" Mordecai asked, already knowing the answer.

"You guessed it. I think he's actually more fond of you than me," Rigby said.

"That's probably cause I don't slack off every day. Hint hint," Mordecai said.

"I get the hint. I've got no room to slack off now that you're not there. I know that it's actually a good thing, but I don't have to like it," Rigby said, crossing his arms.

"You think I like having to get up early, work over half of the day, and then I have to do more work before I can sleep. That week's paycheck will be well earned," Mordecai said.

"How much do you make here?" Rigby asked.

"A thousand and fifty a week, forty two hundred a month," Mordecai said. Rigby's eyes widened.

"Can I get a job here?" Rigby asked.

"Do you want to do my schedule?" Mordecai asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rigby shuddered.

"On second thought, never mind. I don't want to know what a slave feels like," Rigby said.

"Thought so. While the paycheck is good, I have to run myself ragged to earn the money. Another reason why I want to go to college. I won't have to work that hard to earn a decent living," Mordecai said.

"Yeah, but the money here is amazing compared to our paycheck at the park. You earn more money in a week here than you do in several months at the park," Rigby said.

"Yeah, I have to work at least a full month here before I have enough cash to pay for school. I don't know if I can work two jobs _and _go to school," Mordecai said.

"I'd jump in a volcano before I'd do that," Rigby said.

"Of course you would, but some people have to do that. Whether I like it or not, I'm going to have a hard future ahead of me," Mordecai said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, good luck with that. Anyway, if you get your own apartment, can I bunk with you?" Rigby asked.

"You could, but you would have to get up even earlier to make it to work on time," Mordecai said. "And I will make sure you get up in time."

"Way to ruin it," Rigby mumbled.

"Hey, I'm just being real with you. And there's no way you're living in my house without a job. I don't care what you do with the money, but you will work," Mordecai said.

"Ah, you getting this job has taken all of the fun out of you," Rigby said.

"And you have too much fun inside of you. Can learn to be serious sometimes?" CJ asked.

"Not really. It's my one and only rule. Never take stuff too seriously," Rigby said.

"That will never get you ahead in life. But I'm going to head on home because it's getting a little boring around here, no offense to any of you. Bye," CJ said.

"Bye," Mordecai, Eileen, and Rigby said.

"Rigby, can I talk to you?" Eileen asked.

"Sure. What is it?" Rigby asked.

"Can you get your friend Skips to help out with Mordecai's situation?" He's doing nothing to solve it himself," Eileen said.

"Eileen!" Mordecai exclaimed with a glare.

"I'll definitely do that. To be honest, he needs help," Rigby said.

"I still don't Skips will be able help," Mordecai asked.

"Maybe he's got some supernatural way to help you figure it out. This is Skips, you know. He has a solution to pretty much everything," Rigby said.

"Whatever. It better not weird, embarrassing, or both," Mordecai said, before lowering his voice. "Even though it probably will..."

* * *

A/N: This chapter turned out very long winded, but I kind of struggled to write it, so cut me some slack. Anyway, till next time.


	8. Chapter 8 - Attacked

A/N: Slow updates, and forgive me for that. I'm getting lazy, which is not a good thing when you're keeping people waiting. Anyway, time for the next chapter. And my thoughts on the episode of Sad Sax? If I told you, I'd spoil the pairing. Make your own assumptions. What did you think? Did you like it, or was it pure butt?

* * *

Eileen's hypothesis was correct. The place got packed again, not as bad as this morning, but pretty intense nonetheless. There was a line going out of the door, but more people didn't show up constantly. Mordecai was running around with Eileen for a good forty five minutes before everyone was gone. Compared to the morning, that was more lenient. But his arms were sore again and he was panting.

"Only 10 minutes until quitting time. I'm going straight to bed as soon as I get home," Mordecai said.

"You and me both. And I'm a bit concerned about something," Eileen said.

"What is it?" Mordecai asked.

"Maragret. She's gone off the radar ever since her little dash from the shop. She doesn't look to eager to tackle this problem either," Eileen said.

"What does she have to run from?" Mordecai asked.

"In this situation, she's just as guilty as you. I suppose seeing you was a trigger to what happened. That, or she's attracted to you again," Eileen said.

"I bet money on the first choice. Either way, I never wanted things to be awkward between us," Mordecai said.

"Well, that's exactly what's happening," Eileen said, before the clock chimed, signaling quitting time. "Time to go. Need a ride?"

"Yeah. Rigby had to take the cart back because Benson was going to blow a gasket. Plus there's the fact that I didn't ask anyone to come get me," Mordecai said with a sheepish grin.

"Classic Mordecai," Eileen said smiling. "Come on. I'll give you a ride."

But when they turned to the door, the guy that was bothering CJ earlier was back. Only this time he had 4 other guys with him. Mordecai felt an intense apprehension when they walked in.

"You again?" Mordecai said, crossing his arms.

"Me again. I don't appreciate you throwing me out," he said.

"That's what happens when you bother a friend of mine. Be glad I didn't curb stomp you when you came back the third time," Mordecai said, his face even.

"Get him," the man said.

All 5 of them charged at Mordecai and he power slid under the legs of one guy. Eileen was already on the move, and they were out of the shop in a second.

Eileen tossed Mordecai the keys and he quickly made to start the engine and drive away.

"Whew. That was close. Luckily, I was good at baseball in high school," Mordecai said, before a loud crash was heard that made them jerk forward.

Mordecai looked back to see they same guys crashing into their car. Their car was easily faster than Eileen's.

"Crud," Mordecai said, before there was another crash that made them spin out of control.

Mordecai rapidly turned the wheel to try and regulate the car. It half worked until they hit a car that was on the other lane and sent them spinning again. Then they were hit again, which was a winner because it sent them tumbling down a hill on the side. Eileen quickly made to fasten herself in a seatbelt, but Mordecai was not as fast. The force caused him to fly out of the broken windshield and into a tree at a swift speed. Once he fell, he didn't move.

"Are they dead? If you killed them, we are done for!" one of the men said.

"Let's check em out," another one said.

Eileen could feel blood on the side of her head. When she heard the men, she tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes, motionless. She could hear gravel shuffling in the dirt from their footsteps.

"Aw man, where's the other guy?" one of them said.

"Over there. I think he got it the worst," one man said. "I didn't want to kill them! Especially the girl."

"Let's just get out of here," one of them said.

Eileen heard running before there was the sound of an engine turning over and a loud screech of tires. They were gone.

Eileen quickly unfastened herself out of the seatbelt and got out of the car. She fell to the ground as soon as she got out, her legs feeling like jelly. Her ears were ringing, but by the sound of things, Mordecai was in worse shape. That encouraged her to keep moving.

Eileen looked around the area and saw Mordecai's figure motionless on the ground.

"Oh, please be alive," Eileen said, desperately.

She limped over to him and put to fingers on his pulse point. It was faint, but it was there. Eileen quickly took her phone out of her pocket and quickly made steps to call 911.

"Can you send an ambulance quick? My friend is hurt after we crashed into a ditch," Eileen said desperately.

"We have your location. Wait there while paramedics get to your location," the woman on the other side said.

"Tell them to hurry up!" Eileen exclaimed, ending the call. "You better not Mordecai. Don't you even dare try."

Her eyes began to water before flinching from a sudden bite of pain on her head wound.

Eileen went up the ditch to wait for the paramedics when they arrived. The scrapes, bruising, and the concussion was bothering her badly, but she gritted her teeth tightly and tried her hardest to fight it.

She could finally hear the sounds of sirens heading their way.

"Where's the second victim?" the paramedic asked as soon as he saw Eileen.

Eileen swallowed hard. She did not like the sound of the word 'victim' at all.

"Down in the ditch," Eileen said through a strained voice.

They grabbed a stretcher and went down to go get Mordecai.

Eileen felt her knees suddenly spaz out before she fell to get ground.

"We got a bad accident here. Two victims. One a male blue jay, the other a female mole. Female will be through some pain, but she'll make it," the man said, as soon as he got Mordecai in the ambulance. He looked at Mordecai with a sad face. "The second... I wish I could say for certain."

Eileen let out a stifled sob at these words. She got in the ambulance and rode with Mordecai on the way to the hospital, praying the entire way.

* * *

A/N: Today's chapter was short, but I just wanted to get something cranked out for you guys. I certainly hope I've got you guys hooked for the next chapter. Poor Mordo. Until the next time.


	9. Chapter 9 - Getting Along

A/N: I know I left a few people hanging and wondering on the last chapter. If I did, good. That's exactly what I wanted to achieve. :) I'm so cruel that way. Anyway, time to continue.

* * *

"Mordecai! Mordecai!" a voice echoed throughout his head. Mordecai's eyes snapped open and he realized he was in that same dream state he had before, Margaret being the only other presence around.

"This again? What am I doing here?" Mordecai asked.

"You and Eileen crashed because of some thugs," Margaret said.

"Is she alright?" Mordecai quickly asked.

"She'll be fine. You flew through the windshield and hit a tree, however," Margaret said.

Mordecai froze up for a second.

"Am- Am I dead?" Mordecai asked.

"Be real. When Muscle Man died from that accident, Death went to go get his soul. You wouldn't just automatically show up in heaven," Margaret said.

"Oh," Mordecai said, sighing in relief. "Well, why am I here?"

"You're unconscious. This is your dream state, and I'm basically the gatekeeper of this place," Margaret said.

"In the form of Margaret," Mordecai quipped.

"Yes, in the form of Margaret. My form was established in high school. When you turned red every time you saw her," Gatekeeper said.

Mordecai turned red and closed his eyes, trying to wipe his mind of the memories.

"Do me a favor, and don't bring it up. I'm already having a difficult time dealing with this," Mordecai said.

"Ah, your conflict. Save yourself the time and pain, and just ask Skips. He does know someone that can help you out," Gatekeeper said.

"Why don't you just tell me?" Mordecai asked.

"Ah, because it's not as fun as what's in store for you," Gatekeeper said, grinning widely.

"So my subconscious has a sense of humor. Who would've thought?" Mordecai said.

Eileen was lying in a hospital bed with her head bandaged and her bruises/scrapes patched, but she was sitting with a fearful air. She had the hospital sheets in a grip so tight, her hand was turning white. The doctors refused to update her on what was happening, which was giving her the wrong impression. She had called Margaret, CJ, and Rigby, who would tell everyone at the park. All of which immediately started coming over as soon as they were told.

The first to arrive was Rigby and the park workers.

"Where's Mordecai?" Rigby asked immediately.

"Still in OR, and that worries me," Eileen said, her hand not letting go of the sheet.

"What happened?" Benson asked.

"We were closing up the shop, and the guy that Mordecai kicked out earlier came back again, only this time there were four other guys with him. Mordecai got past them and we got in my car to get out. They decided to chase us, and we ended up crashing into a ditch. Before we crashed, I at least managed to get a seat belt on. Mordecai was halfway there before the car landed and... sent him flying out of the windshield," Eileen said, letting out a small sob before tears began to well up in her eyes again.

The expressions on their faces were half and half. Skips, Fives, and Pops looked upset at the news. Rigby, Benson, and Muscle Man looked _angry._

"Do you know what they looked like?" Rigby asked in a furious voice.

Skips turned to the others and already knew what was on their minds.

"Now's not the time for that. Right now, we-"

"Where is he?" Margaret asked as soon as she walked in the door.

"Still in OR. The doctors won't tell us what's going on and we're allowed no where near," Eileen said.

"How did this happen?" Margaret asked.

"Some douchebags from the coffee shop ran them off the road. Mordecai ended up flying through the windshield," Rigby said, his tone half furious, half shaky.

Margaret held up her hands to cover her mouth and her eyes got a little watery.

"Is he OK?" she asked.

"That's the problem. We don't know. The doctors won't tell us anything," Eileen said.

"Which is stupid!" Rigby said, throwing his hands up in an outrage.

"Calm down. It won't do us any good to lose our heads now. All we can do is wait," Benson said.

"I agree with Rigby. It blows that they won't tell us anything," Muscle Man said.

"I second that," Fives said.

"I third it," Margaret said.

"Fourth," Pops said.

"We can complain about it all we want, but there's nothing we can do," Skips said. "As much as I want to know too, it does us no good to rile ourselves up. Let's get some rest and hopefully we'll know more in the morning."

"I'm not leaving," Rigby said firmly.

"I can understand that. If anyone else wants to stay, they'll have to sleep in the waiting room," Benson said.

"Can I speak for all of us when I say none of us are going no where?" Muscle Man said.

"Yes," everyone said in sync.

"Alright then, looks like we're spending the night in a hospital. Who's taking the chair in here?" Benson asked.

"I will," Rigby said immediately.

"Alright. The rest of us will in the waiting room. Call if you need anything," Benson said, walking out. Only Margaret and Rigby stayed.

Rigby sat in the chair, his hands over his face. Margaret leaned against a wall before speaking.

"Are you OK?" she asked in concern.

"I'm fine. Gonna be on workers comp for a few weeks, but I should be OK. I'm not really concerned about me," Eileen said, her tone getting sad again.

"He's tough. He'll make it," Rigby said.

Then the door opened again and CJ walked in.

"Isheokareyouok?" she said, her words coming out in a big jumble. Then when she made eye contact with Margaret, they both froze for a second, staring each other down.

It took Eileen some thinking, but she finally figure out what she said.

"I'm OK. Mordecai, I wish I could say the same thing. You know the doctors won't tell us _anything?" _Eileen said.

"That's how it works in these community hospitals. And I can't say I like it. In fact, it ticks me off to the extreme," CJ said, her voice angry and irritated before turning soft again. "What happened?"

"You know that guy who was flirting with you earlier?" Eileen said.

"_What about him?" _CJ asked furiously.

"I guess he planned on beating Mordecai up after closing time cause he embarrassed him. But when we got in the car, he ran us off the road and into a ditch. I managed to put a seat belt on, but Mordecai didn't and flew through the windshield," Eileen said, too tired to even find the energy to cry.

Her face was stunned for a second, like she was still processing it. Then her skin turned from the usual white to a dark black out of anger.

"Blowing apart the hospital won't help things CJ," Eileen said quickly, trying to temporarily placate her. "Plus Mordecai's still in here being operated on."

That last statement did the trick and it probably took all of her self-control, but it didn't feel like a hurricane was coming inside of the room. But her skin was still black. Out of anger and sadness.

"We're just waiting in hopes that the doctors will tell us something," Margaret said, her hands rubbing her throbbing temple.

"We're going to be waiting for a while. The waiting room is full, thanks to your co-workers. I guess I'll sleep on the floor?" CJ said.

"I've got a few sleeping bags in my car trunk. I'll go get them," Margaret said.

"That would be great. Thanks," CJ said.

Margaret nodded and left the room.

"Now waiting is the hardest part," Eileen said.

* * *

A/N: I'm giving to back to back updates! I know, it's shocking, but don't get used to it. lol. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story. And I pity the fools who got Mordecai in the hospital. (Not really) Anyway, next update is coming soon and stay tune my peeps.


	10. Chapter 10 - Apparent Feelings

A/N: I seem to be starting a lynching mob from the last chapter. Some sympathy for Mordecai. A lot of anger at the thugs. Don't worry, they'll be dealt with soon enough. Anyway, next chapter.

* * *

Rigby awoke with a jerk after hearing a loud bang in the room. He turned around to see Margaret sprawled on the ground at the door.

"What happened?" Rigby asked.

"I tripped and fell on the way to the bathroom. That happens when you're running on no sleep," Margaret said.

"Stayed up all night worrying about Mordecai?" Rigby said teasingly. Even though he was worried too, he couldn't resist poking fun at Margaret for it. Margaret blushed at the implication, but spoke with some pride in it.

"Yes I was. And I know you were too, so you can't really talk," she said, glaring at him.

"Well, excuse me for trying to lighten the mood. And we have two people in the room unaccounted for," Rigby said, looking around.

Margaret looked around and like Rigby said, Eileen and CJ were gone from the room.

"Where'd they go?" Margaret asked.

"Let's ask the lady at the front desk. Maybe she knows," Rigby said, walking out of the room and up to the desk. "Hey, did you see a mole and a cloud person walking around?"

"Yeah. Room 617. The patient in there seems to be stable now," the woman said.

Rigby and Margaret suddenly let out a big sigh of relief. Mordecai was alive, and they were in high spirits from that. Both people in question immediately broke into a run toward room 617. Rigby couldn't punch, but he sure could run.

Rigby immediately tried to open the door, but found it blocked.

"Why's the door locked?!" Rigby exclaimed.

"Oh, I guess they're awake now," they could hear Eileen say.

There were footsteps and then the door opened to reveal the room was nearly filled inch to inch with everyone. Rigby and Margaret barely had room to fit.(And this is Rigby, so you know the space is limited) Rigby somehow slid his up to Mordecai's bed to take a look at him. He was breathing regularly, so at least none of his injuries caused internal problems.

"How long has he been sleeping?" Rigby asked.

"The doctors put him on anesthetics that'll last until three in the evening. The ribs were the worst part. When he was hit, they said the sensation was something like an iron fist hitting it, so they had him sleep the pain off," CJ said, her voice soft.

Margaret barely regarded what CJ said. All she could focus on was the immobile blue jay lying on the hospital bed. She felt like she was moving at a turtle's pace, but somehow without any obstructions, she reached the side of his bed and looked at his sleeping form.

Without thinking, she traced a finger along the side of his bandaged head with a loving tenderness. A smile unconsciously spread across Mordecai's face at the touch. The smile caused Margaret to smile as well. Everyone else just watched the scene, strangely transfixed. Except for Rigby of course.

"Someone's a little lovey dovey," Rigby teased.

Margaret looked around as if suddenly remembering everyone was there and jerked her hand back before blushing bright red.

CJ stood there with a transfixed gaze at Margaret. The expression on her face gave nothing away, but on the inside she was half tearing her hair out. Metaphorically speaking. Though, like Mordecai from earlier, she knew she had no right to say anything. So she swallowed the bitter jealousy down and pretended like she didn't see it, even though Margaret knew everyone saw. Including CJ.

Margaret unconsciously took a step away from Mordecai as he began to shift in his sleep. She moved further back among the park workers as if they would shield her embarrassment. It didn't work.

"We really need to get back to work," Benson said.

"Really Benson? Work? At this time?" Rigby said.

"Mordecai is fine. He'll be sleeping for the next seven hours, so we'll come back when he's awake. If Mr. Maellard sees that we're not working, we're all in big trouble. And I get blamed for it because everything that happens here is my fault, so please get moving on my account," Benson said.

"Alright. We'll head back," Rigby said.

"Don't you two have things to do?" Skips asked Margaret and CJ.

"Work! Ah, crap. I'll be back later!" CJ said, dashing out of the room.

"And I got to head for the TV station. I get back after two, so I'll be back here soon," Margaret said, her eyes again on the blue jay.

"He's fine. Keep you mind focused on what's going on right now," Skips said.

"Yeah. Sure," Margaret said, sticking behind longer than everyone else. Before she left, she gave Mordecai a soft kiss on the forehead. "Be safe."

* * *

A/N: Short, but full of fluff don't you think? lol. Hope you enjoyed and are continuing to enjoy the series.


	11. Chapter 11 - Reality Check

A/N: Lack of updates are due to me working on my other 2 stories, but I have not forgotten about this one. I got my Disturbed playing in my ears, and I'm ready to write! (Disturbed is an awesome band! Check them out)

* * *

Rigby pathetically tried to lift the trash bag out of the bin, but unfortunately, he was way too small to carry it.

"Ugh! This is too hard!" Rigby groaned, still straining to lift the bag out of the bin. "Mordecai usually has this job." At his words, he sudden shut himself up. The memory of Mordecai lying motionlessly in a hospital bed stung quite a bit. It had been only three hours since they left the hospital, and it had barely left his mind the entire time. Then the house phone rang.

Rigby, eager to find an excuse not to be working, rushed to the phone.

"Hello?" Rigby said.

"They found the guys," Margaret said on the other line. Rigby knew what she meant about 'guys.' The people who drove Mordecai off the road. Rigby was sort of glad they were caught, but it was disappointing to Rigby he couldn't do some damage with his_ fists._ (-_- The mind of a Rigby.)

"How?" Rigby said.

"They had gone to a repair shop to fix the damage to their car. The owner recently saw the accident on TV, and saw that the dents on their car matched with the dents on the car he saw. Takes a keen eye to notice things like that, but he called the police and kept them occupied long enough for them to arrive. It was pretty lucky," Margaret explained.

"Yeah, no kidding. What are they going down for?" Rigby said.

"Attempted murder and breaking and entering. They got the story from Eileen and that's that. It's over and done with," Margaret said.

"Is it on the news?" Rigby asked.

"Not yet. Working at the news station gives me early access to this information. I'm about to air in a few minutes though," Margaret said.

"Are you satisfied with them just going to jail? I'm not," Rigby said.

"Right now, that's the most we can get. Plus, jail isn't exactly the most fun thing in the world. People turn in there if you know what I mean," Margaret said.

Rigby grimaced. Yeah, that's definitely good enough.

"Ugh. Yeah, unfortunately I do know. I'll see you later," Rigby said.

"Bye," Margaret said, hanging up.

"Who were you talking to?" Benson asked, walking in the door.

Rigby jumped back and clutched his heart.

"Do you always have to do that?" Rigby asked.

"I just have the right timing. Now answer the question, because you're supposed to be working," Benson said, crossing his arms.

"I have three things to say about that. Firstly, the phone rang and I answered it. Second, it was Margaret and the guys who ran Mordecai of the road, and third, I can't even lift the trash bag!" Rigby said, throwing his hands up.

"Should've figured that. Here, I'll help you just because you're unable to do it," Benson said, walking in the kitchen and grabbing the trash bag. "You really need to get stronger."

"Exercise is hard!" Rigby groaned.

"No, you're just lazy. At least when Mordecai works, he does an effective job. You half do everything, or don't do it at all," Benson said.

"I'm not as strong as Mordecai," Rigby defended.

"Strength has nothing to do with laziness," Benson said, walking out of the door. "If you work harder, I can go easier on the both of you. I yell at the both of you because of you most of the time."

"Why bother yelling at Mordecai?" Rigby asked.

"Cause that makes him urge you to do your work. It doesn't seem to work very much," Benson said, his tone curt.

"Well, excuse me that I'm not used to working. I just hate it," Rigby said.

"You don't think I hate my job? You've got it 10 times easier than I do when you screw up. When I screw up, Maellard's on my case quickly and fiercely. But that's the real world. Grow up Rigby. Once Mordecai quits, you won't have an easy way out anymore," Benson said, walking back out of the house.

Rigby stood on the spot, transfixed at his boss' words. He knew that Benson was right, but Rigby didn't simply want to get used to the fact that he would have to... ugh, work hard.

When Rigby was a child, work was practically never a thing when it came to him. His parents always did it so he didn't have to. It's what makes him hate working at all. Don was still the more favored child, but that doesn't mean Rigby wasn't a stranger to some spoiling. In retrospect, it may have been too much.

The ringing of the phone jarred Rigby out of his daze and he answered it immediately.

"Hello?" he said, trying to forget Benson's horrifyingly accurate words.

"Rigby?! Oh, thank goodness. It's Mordecai. He's in the hospital," a woman on the other line said.

Rigby winced and had to pull the phone away from him out of a sudden impact of guilt. Rigby didn't bother to think about Mordecai's parents in this particular situation.

"Um, I actually knew that he was in there. We had already gone to visit him already," he said with a wince, knowing her voice was about to raise. Sure enough...

"What?! You didn't bother to let us know?!" she yelled, making Rigby back the phone away from his ear. "My baby..."

Suddenly, he could hear Mordecai's dad come and talk to her for a little bit before he took over the phone.

"Sorry Rigby. She's just a little distraught at the news. I certainly am, but I understand why you didn't tell us. It was the last thing on your mind at the moment. For that I don't fault you," Mordecai's dad said before his tone quickly turned angry all of a sudden. Those stupid a-"

"Let's not get to angry here. They're locked up, so nothing we can do but hope they stay where they are," Rigby said grudgingly.

"Hopefully. Anyway, we're going to visit him. You want to come again?" Mordecai's dad asked.

"Nah, I'll visit after a few hours when he's awake. Plus the less I see him, the more I don't have to think about what happened," Rigby said, his tone growing fainter.

"Understandable. I'll see you another day," Mordecai's dad said.

"See you," Rigby said, hanging up.

"GET BACK TO WORK!" he could hear Benson yell from outside. Rigby sighed. He was going to hate growing up...

* * *

A/N: Abrupt ending, but I had to give you something. I had no computer access for the longest, and I hate taking the time to get off of my PS3 to type, which is far less inefficient from a computer I have to add. But because the last update time was pathetically far back, I updated. Don't lose interest. The show will still go on.


	12. Chapter 12 - Ready to Date

A/N: Now, I feel like I've held off things a little too long. By that, I mean Eileen asking Skips for help. But as if she's going ask it in front Margaret and CJ. Because they'd be completely against the idea. Anyway, time to continue.

* * *

Mordecai slowly blinked as tried to find some coherent thoughts form in his head. Before he could remember the impact from the car crash.

_"Where's Eileen? Is she alright? Did she get away?" _Mordecai though, his thoughts erratic.

Mordecai wiped a bit of sweat from his brow and tried to calm himself down, but was failing miserably at trying. He heard the beeping from his heart monitor getting louder. He held his arms out in front of him and took long, deep breaths to calm himself.

"Looks like you're finally awake. You had a bunch of people come visit you the other day," the nurse said.

He knew she meant everyone at the park. They're quick to visit when one of 'their own' in a way, gets hurt.

"I also distinctively remember two women being here as well. Care to explain that?" the nurse said, raising an eyebrow.

_"Margaret and CJ were here too? Aw, crap," _Mordecai thought, trying to fight back the blush on his face at her implications.

"It's nothing like that..."

"Sure, and I'm going to retire in the next 5 years," the nurse said sarcastically.

She didn't look a day over 20. Retirement was not happening anytime soon for her. Unless she suddenly wins the lottery.

"Do people always have to be so quick to jump to conclusions?" Mordecai asked, throwing his hands up.

"Hey, it's none of my business either way. Plus I'm paid not to agitate the patient, so yeah. Anyway, they caught the people that ran you off the road, so you can rest easy for now," the nurse said.

Mordecai sighed in relief.

"Good. How did they catch him?" Mordecai asked.

"They went to a mechanic to get their car fixed, but the crash had just came on the news, and the man was able to match the dents on their car with the ones on your car. So he called the police, lollygagged enough for them to arrive and then they arrested them. Likely they'll go down for attempted murder," the nurse explained.

"And Eileen?" Mordecai asked, worried.

"The girl you were in the car with? She's fine, worried about you, but her injuries weren't as severe as yours were. Uh, all your ribs were broken, one of your legs was broken, and you have a concussion. But you're healing quickly nicely. Unnatural almost. You'll likely be on workers comp for the next few months," the nurse said.

"Workers comp?" Mordecai asked.

"Workers compensation. When you get paid for sitting at home from being hurt on the job. Since these thugs involved you just doing your job, you boss has to still pay you while you're injured," the nurse explained.

"How many months we talking about here?" Mordecai asked eagerly.

The nurse grinned at his eagerness.

"I'd say about 3 1/2 months. Do the math of your income," the nurse said.

Mordecai quickly went over the details in his mind. Forty two hundred times three was Twelve thousand and six hundred dollars. Half of forty two hundred was 2100, and twelve thousand six hundred plus twenty one hundred was fourteen thousand seven hundred dollars. Mordecai's eyes widened. He would have plenty of money for college and then some. And then some. And _then _some.

"Over 14,000 dollars," Mordecai said in a subdued voice.

"Have fun in figuring out what to do with all of that money," the nurse said.

"Well, I know where three thousand of it is going. Toward school," Mordecai said.

"Ah, going back to school, huh? Smart man. Also, you have a visitor. _Another _female. How about that?" the nurse said grinning.

Mordecai groaned and slammed one of his pillows on his face. He could hear the nurse laughing all of the way out of the door.

"I can smell your frustration from here," he could hear the voice of Stacey say.

"I'm pretty sure you can," Mordecai said simply.

"You alright?" Stacey asked, her voice worried.

Mordecai removed the pillow on his face and saw her worried face.

"I'm fine. I've dealt with worse," Mordecai said.

"No kidding. That mannonball was all over the news," Stacey said, grinning.

"Wait, we were on TV when that happened?" Mordecai asked.

"Uh, yeah! You were with the dude from Chopper 6. Of course it would be on TV," Stacey said.

"How come I was not informed of this?" Mordecai asked.

"I don't know. Anyway, this may seem in bad taste, but do you want to go out?" Stacey asked.

"Well, since I don't have to go to work, we can finally catch up," Mordecai said, ignorant of the meaning.

"No, I mean 'a date' type of going out," Stacey said.

Mordecai's eyes widened and he looked kind of startled. This he was not expecting. And the last thing he needed right now.

"Oh. Well... that's awfully straightforward," he said. Stacey blushed at his implication.

"Well, yeah. You nearly died. I really don't think I need to beat around the bush," she said.

"Well, I don't know..."

"You going out with someone else right now? If you are, I completely understand. If it's that girl you were with at Pancake Planet, injured or not, I will punch you in the arm for lying to me," Stacey said furiously.

"No, no! I wasn't lying about that part. Things are just complicated right now," Mordecai said.

"A Mordecai complicated?" Stacey asked.

Mordecai scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah," he mumbled.

"How about this. Give me one date, and we'll see if it's complicated soon after. Likely if you're dealing with some jealousy, things might get messy, but that was high school to the book. What do you say?" Stacey asked.

Some small part of Mordecai wanted to say no because he felt like he was being a cheater. But there's was another voice whispering in his head. A more primal voice.

_"You and Margaret are not dating, and you are not officially dating CJ anymore. In truth, neither have claim over you. Don't hook yourself in all of this complication. You need to do what's best for you for once," _the voice said.

As much as Mordecai wanted to say it was wrong, he knew it was right. And he was not being unfaithful. He just finally had enough.

"Alright. We'll see where it goes," Mordecai said, nodding in approval.

Stacey gave him a kiss on the cheek before giving him a warm smile.

"You won't regret the decision. It'll be just like old times. But with benefits," Stacey said, sitting in the chair next to his bed. "So how about we catch up a little right now. I got a few minutes before I have to be at work."

With a new sort of eagerness, he began to tell her his various adventures at the park.

"That guy has no clue what of the backlash that's coming for him," the nurse muttered to herself.

* * *

A/N: Well, looks like Mordecai took a turn from all of the drama and decided to take an easy route. The thing is, what will everyone else think of his decision?


	13. Chapter 13 - Unusually Upset

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. Just remember that I have more than one story to write if you want a reason why updates have been on the slow side.

* * *

"Are. You. _Kidding?!" _Rigby exclaimed. Rigby was dumbstruck by the gravity of the statement that Mordecai told him.

_"Those words were considerably bigger than what I usually say or think. Huh, maybe all this talk of school is rubbing off on me somehow," _Rigby thought, but shook his head to get back to the situation at hand. "What made you make a decision like _that?"_

"Maybe it's all of the pressure of the situation, so I found the nearest out I could. You'd probably do the same thing if you knew how much this was weighing on my mind," Mordecai said, on the defensive side. "Plus, Stacey a good girl."

"To be honest, I would've been done it. But you're not me!" Rigby exclaimed.

"No, and I'm glad I'm not," Mordecai said grinning before his face turned stolid again. "I'm not going to be talked out of this. I'm going."

"You can't be talked out of anything these days, so I know better. But are you sure this is what you want?" Rigby asked. "I mean, regardless if you're going to be 'talked out of it or not,' I'm not going to let you make a decision that's going to ruin things. Hinting towards your rocky friendship with CJ and Margaret."

"If this decision ends me with me happy, then yes. I am sure. And as far as thing with Margaret and CJ? Well, they don't really have any reason to get upset. I have nothing with either of them, remember?" Mordecai said.

Rigby shook his head and waved a dismissive hand at his friend before heading up the stairs.

"Even I know they're going to lynch him by the end of the day when they find out," Rigby muttered.

Mordecai sighed and blew out a big puff of breath. In truth, there was apprehension in his heart about this whole thing. But his head deduced it as a logical decision.

_"Better back out now before you get attached to something you can't have," _the voice in his head said.

"Then why does it feel wrong?" Mordecai said, putting his thumb and index finger under his chin in thought.

Regardless of how much thought he gave it, he really couldn't figure it out. Then he could feel his phone vibrating.

"Hello?" Mordecai asked.

"Hey Mordecai. I just now realize we never set a date," Stacey said. He didn't have to see her to know a sheepish grin was on her face. As Mordecai let this sunk in, he face-palmed.

"We suck at planning," he said, laughter in his voice.

"Ain't that the truth? Anyway, how about in a few hours?" Stacey asked.

"A few hours? Bit soon don't you think? And what do you mean by a few hours?" Mordecai asked.

"Questions in order. Yes. For me, nothing is too soon, and by a few hours I mean three. I'll meet you in front of the library since it's the only place we've been to beside Pancake Planet, and I don't fancy going that far," Stacey explained.

"Yeah, you hold a point there. I'll see you in a few?" Mordecai asked.

"Yeah. I'll see you in a minute, you invalid," Stacey teased on the other side.

"I'm not an invalid. I can move like I normally can. I healed quickly," Mordecai said when his body suddenly spasmed painfully. "Ow."

"Invalid," Stacey said.

"Not an invalid!" Mordecai yelled.

"Whoa, calm down. Getting a little too wound up, are we?" Stacey said.

Mordecai calmed down. Why was he overreacting so much?

"Sorry. I don't know what was with that reaction, but it's my bad," Mordecai said.

"Ah, it's cool. I'll stop before you pop a blood vessel over there. I'll see you," Stacey said.

"Looking forward to it," Mordecai said, hanging up. Mordecai dialed CJ next. He knew this next part was not going to bode over well.

"Hello?" CJ said on the other end.

"Hey CJ," Mordecai said.

"Hey you invalid," CJ teased. Mordecai groaned in exasperation.

"You're the second person who said that to me," Mordecai said.

"Who was the first?" CJ asked.

"Stacey. I just got off of the phone with her," Mordecai said, biting his tongue a little in the anticipation.

"Wishing you a 'get well soon,' or something like that?" CJ asked.

"You could say that," Mordecai said with hesitation between each of the words.

"Alright spill. You sound like you're going to say something I don't want to hear, so spill it," CJ said. Mordecai could tell she had an arm crossed.

"I'm going on a date," Mordecai said swiftly. The words were eligible, but it took CJ a little bit to decipher it. When she did, her face took on a resigned look. As if she already accepted. Mordecai had the decency to look ashamed.

"When?" CJ asked.

"Today," Mordecai said, making CJ sighed.

"I saw this coming sooner or later," CJ said.

"You did?" Mordecai said surprised.

"Of course. From the way Muscle Man described her, it doesn't sound like you could get over her easily. Look, I've accepted it if this scenario came to pass. Just rekindle your old flame, to put it in certain terms.

"How did Muscle Man even know about Stacey? I don't recall ever telling him about her," Mordecai said, crossing his arms.

The even look on CJ's face turned into a frown in the blink of an eye.

"Stacey? You're going with her?" CJ asked.

"Yeah. Who'd you think I was talking about?" Mordecai asked.

"Who else?" CJ said sarcastically.

"You're not serious?" Mordecai asked.

"Yes, I'm serious. This is perhaps a dumb decision on your part. Now, if this scenario played out how I thought it would, I would've accepted it and moved on. But I'm mad at you for making the wrong one," CJ said, angrily hanging up.

Mordecai sat there dumbstruck, wondering what in the world just happened. He could not understand her logic.

* * *

AN: Finally! An update!


	14. Chapter 14 - An Interesting Meeting

A/N: All right, I can see there was confusion on some of the reviews concerning college. Well let me clear things up. College is not going to be a _main _factor of the story, but it will eventually play a role as far as life for a few people. It'll come up as a four years later sort of thing. Or I may do chapters of important events that happen in between, but just know that it will not affect what the object of the story is directly. It will come up every once in a while, but not directly affect what I'm trying to do. My main focus is what I promised. On this conflict Mordecai is experiencing, hence the title of the story. Did that satisfy everyone? If not, I don't really care. P.S: If you have an issue with the story, PM me. Don't use the review section. That's for your thoughts on the chapter. Not a place to point things out. Hopefully, the same mistake won't be done over and over again. Also, I discovered how to line break! lol.

* * *

"Unbelievable," CJ said, shaking her head. "Out of all the stupidest..."

"What's with you?" Eileen asked, muting the TV so she could listen to CJ.

"It's nothing," CJ said, practically falling on the couch and rubbing her temple.

"Doesn't look like nothing. Come on, what's stressing you out?" Eileen asked.

"Mordecai," CJ said, rubbing her temple even more furiously.

"What about him?" Eileen asked.

"He's going on a date with that Stacey girl," CJ said, with a small amount of venom.

Eileen didn't look surprised at this statement.

"I saw something like this coming," Eileen said, sighing.

"You knew?" CJ asked in a surprised tone. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't not know, and I would ask you not to insinuate that. I mean, after watching Mordecai and Margaret for months, you kind of pick up on how he likes to approach these kinds of things. And it's never confronting the incoming threats directly. He tries to find another route. I suspected he would do something like this because whether you two know it or not, you are pressuring him to make a decision. To the point where he just breaks," Eileen explained.

"But I sincerely doubt this is what he wants. He's known Margaret longer than her, and he just met her again like what, a few days ago?" CJ asked incredulously.

"It was an old flame of Mordecai's. At least, that's what Rigby told me," Eileen said.

"You two have been hanging out a lot, huh?" CJ said, now smiling.

"Yes we have. Ievendecidedtoaskhimoutandhesaidyes," Eileen said in a jumble while insanely red.

CJ, having spoken the jumbled language before, was able to decrypt it quite easily.

"I'm happy for you. I knew Rigby would never pluck up the courage, but at least you did," CJ said. Eileen smiled shyly.

"So am I," she said.

* * *

"You cannot be serious," Mordecai said, smiling widely at his friend. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, we're going on a date. Is that so hard to process?" Rigby said, slightly red.

"Uh, yeah. You don't exactly spout confidence or maturity," Mordecai said.

"Yeah, that's your job. Mine is being funny and awesome," Rigby said, smugly.

"Well, I'm happy for you man," Mordecai said.

"I find it hard to say the same for you unfortunately," Rigby said stiffly.

Mordecai crossed his arms and eyed his friend disapprovingly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mordecai said in a miffed voice.

"Stacey! I mean, I don't really like her. I'm getting that New Years Eve vibe," Rigby said.

Mordecai's mouth thinned. He didn't forget what happened then.

"This is not the same thing," Mordecai said.

"Sounds perfectly like the same thing to me. You don't really know her and you're already jumping into a date with her? Sounds like the same thing to me," Rigby said.

"In case you may have forgot, I do know Stacey," Mordecai said.

"Yeah, from college about what, two years ago? People change you know," Rigby said.

"Well, how will I know if I don't try?" Mordecai asked.

"Fine. Go. Not like I can stop you. But if you come back disappointed one of these days, I told you so. I'm going to say it now before I feel guilty later," Rigby said.

"Well, if this is a mistake, you can say it without guilt, alright?" Mordecai said

"What kind of friend would I be if I _didn't _feel guilty if it does happen?" Rigby asked, twiddling his thumbs.

Mordecai smiled.

"And that's why you're my bro. Even if you are rough around the edges at times," Mordecai said. "But I'm sure about this."

"Mordecai?" Skips said, skipping into the kitchen. "Come here for a second. There's someone I want you to meet."

"Who is it?" Mordecai asked.

"Just come here," Skips said, exiting the room.

Mordecai glanced at Rigby who simply shrugged.

Mordecai stood up and followed Skips out of the door. He stood next to a man who, quite simply, was dressed in all black. But all that was very contrasting to the bright smile on his face when he saw Mordecai.

"Mr. Quintel. You... heh, I've been wanting to meet," the man said.

"Why is that? I've never seen you before, much less know you," Mordecai said.

"No, but I know you, and you have the most interesting love life I've ever seen. Even if I have a hand in it somewhat," he said.

"Who are you?" Mordecai asked.

"To put it simply, this is Cupid," Skips said.

Mordecai's eyes widened in shock. He said the only coherent thing he was capable of.

"Say wha?" Mordecai asked.

* * *

A/N: Very short, but I love leaving it of at cliffhangers like this. Yes, I this was in fact planned, unlike half of stuff I write. I'm that guy who makes it up as I go. It's pretty effective I'd say. Plus, I just got hold of a laptop today, so be grateful you t an update at all. Especially on spring break. lol. JK. I love writing for everyone. It's really fun. Until next time, people!


	15. Chapter 15 - Emotional Evaluation

A/N: Over 2 weeks. Yes, I know it's a long period of time for the people who have been waiting for me to continue this from that cliffhanger I left last time, but I was busy uploading all of my other stories. Unfortunately, it took me much longer than expected. Both chapters exceeded 4000 words, so I have an excuse. Somewhat. Anyway, continue!

* * *

Mordecai found his ability to speak suddenly taken away from him. Sure, this park had been filled with crazy mishaps among the like, but Cupid now at this point in time? He finally had an explanation why his dating life was so difficult. But he was still too subdued to talk.

"Mordecai? You in there?" Cupid said, waving a hand over his face.

"How are you Cupid?" Mordecai said, his voice rather strained. It was the only thing that would come out of his mouth.

Cupid smiled as well as Skips and Mordecai's expression. The dumbstruck expression on Mordecai's face was absolutely priceless.

"Well, if you're wondering why I'm not a baby in a diaper with a bow and arrow, I grew out of that stuff centuries ago. It wasn't exactly kid friendly when I decided to go all Goth-like, so they kept the image like it was. But I'm actually like this. A good looking and charming man," Cupid said, straightening his collar with a confident air. "As for how we and Skips met... rather I gave the guy comfort after he lost you know who."

Mordecai nodded tightly. He didn't forget about that. He hung on to every word on that day. Because it really explained why Skips was so isolated.

"Granted, I don't do this for everyone and not in my true form. Plus it's never direct, but Skips was an immortal being, so I let it slide this time around. And when he told me that he knew Mordecai Quintel, the one who has the love life of 1000 hells? I had to meet him. And Skips set up this little meeting, thus my presence being here. Did that explanation satisfy you?"

"Just... why? Are you behind my love life being like this? Because if you are, Cupid or not, I would like to beat the tar out of you," Mordecai threatened.

Cupid let out a laugh at Mordecai's threat.

"Oh, I really don't blame you there. I would say and do the same thing if our roles were switched. But no. I'm not responsible for your love life. That's out of my hands, and rather in the hands of Venus. She tends to do this to people, and loves to laugh about it. It's like her favorite hobby, doing this to people. She admitted to me right out when I came across you," Cupid explained.

"Venus? As in..."

"Goddess of love, beauty, whatever you want to call it. Doesn't matter. But she prefers Venus. Because it gives her an excuse to have this phrase as her prerogative: 'Hail to the V,'" Cupid said. (Hint hint to the people who know the second meaning behind this)

Mordecai shook his head. That sounded like some of the girls in art school. Mordecai winced from a spasm in his leg, but bit his lip to fight the pain.

"Stupid leg," Mordecai growled.

"Could've been a lot worse for you than it was. You could be off of your feet, hooked up to a bunch of machines, and barely breathing. It's only because of Venus that you're not. She says, and I quote: 'I wouldn't want my favorite toy broken,'" Cupid said with a scrunched up expression. "If I were you, I'd tread carefully around any new women you meet. It's frowned upon for gods and goddess to maintain relationships with mortals, but it sounds like she'd make an exception for you. Which is saying something."

Mordecai's cringed. The last thing he needed was a new woman in his life. He had three of them that seemed to unintentionally torture him. And he hated it.

"Thanks for the tip," Mordecai said. "But if you don't control love, what do you do?"

Cupid smiled and summoned a bow and number of arrows.

"Those suits got one thing right. I do have arrows, though they don't have hearts on them. That just makes me barf. But when I do implant an arrow somewhere in your body, rather instead of making that person falling in love with the first person they see, it gives them a strong urging feeling _concerning _love. Say it's a push to make a person to do something they want to do, but never without their consent. They have to have a deep feeling concerning the programming and intention of the arrows. Demonstration: That Christmas party," Cupid explained.

Mordecai froze on the spot. So in reality he _wanted _to kiss Margaret? Even while he was with C.J. That was messed up in so many ways, and it made him feel guilty for it. But then Cupid started shaking his head.

"I know what's in your head Mordecai. You cannot help who you love, and in this case, that love you had for Margaret never went away. You thought you were over it, but your heart still held on without giving your head prior knowledge. The New Years party before the one that is tomorrow, was in fact, a compulsion on your part and C.J's. Courtesy of Venus," Cupid explained.

Mordecai suddenly let out a growl. The fact that all of this was happening because of a drama-loving goddess really made him mad.

"Again, I understand your anger, but there's not really much you can do about it. Unless you have an in with any of the other gods or goddesses, then you can't do anything," Cupid said.

Mordecai took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. It was not working.

"I can't get over that. My love life is not a toy," Mordecai growled.

"In Venus' case, yes it is. I'm sorry, but that's how she works. My interference is not really supposed to actually happen, but she seemed to torture you with this issue more than most people, that I felt the need to interfere. I barely know you, but I like you. You're a nice young lad and personally after the emotional hurricane you've been through, I decided to put a stop to it. Look within yourself. Who do you see yourself marrying and having kids with? Margaret, C.J., Or Stacey?" Cupid asked.

Mordecai closed his eyes and imagined kids with Stacey. The thought didn't really reach out to him in any sort of way, but that didn't mean he was disgusted with the idea.

When it was C.J.'s turn, a small smile graced his face at the thought. They would have interesting looking kids, but certainly not ugly.

When Margaret came around and he imagined birds of red and blue, his heart soared at the thought and he unconsciously made an ear-to-ear grin at the thought. Then his eyes jerked open and his eyes were as wide as saucers. Skips and Cupid were grinning at the blue jay across from them.

"What'd you come up with?" Skips asked, his voice turning serious.

Mordecai turned toward Skips with a slightly subdued expression.

"Now, I may have hit you with an arrow to move your decision along more easy. I know your decision. I just want to hear you say it," Cupid said.

"Margaret," Mordecai said, his voice still subdued.

Cupid smiled and pointed up in the sky.

"You owe me Venus!" he yelled, his voice gleeful.

There was a crack of thunder at his words, even though the sky was perfectly clear.

"Oh, she's pissed. Though I'm glad I won the bet," Cupid said.

"What was her bet on?" Mordecai asked.

"Who'd you choose in the end. Master of love loses to a servant. Oh, the irony," Cupid said smugly. "Her bet was on Stacey. Because even her powers are limited somewhat that she can't predict who that person will choose. Though she as a lot of influence in that field.

"Likely, I wouldn't if you didn't open my eyes," Mordecai said honestly. At this, there was an even louder crack of thunder. Cupid outright cracked up at this.

"You mad or na'll?" Cupid said gleefully. "Anyway, I might make another visit soon. I was just here to give a little guidance. Until we meet again!" He then disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

"He's always been like that?" Mordecai asked.

"Ever since I known him. Outright fun to be around at a party. Nightmare to be around when you're trying to impress a girl. Not to mention Cupid's a skilled archer. He can hit a bullseye blindfolded after being spun around in circles. Trust me, we tried it. He'll always make you do something you don't want to do with those arrows. And you usually end up chasing the girl off rather than toward you," Skips explained.

"Sounds like a mix of Rigby and Benson. Emotionally mature and immature," Mordecai said.

"Interesting combination, but accurate I would say. Anyway, what are you going to do about this whole... situation?" Skips asked.

Mordecai took a deep breath. He knew what he felt deep down for Margaret, but he can't deny the attachment he had for Stacey and C.J.

_"Think of you for once," _he remembered telling himself. He faced Skips with his decision made.

"There are wrongs that I need to make right," Mordecai said in a determined voice.

* * *

A/N: Shorter than I would like, but it would run over too long if I added the second part. I keep these chapters moderately paced, so it'll get more drawn on. Anyway, yes Mordaret was the initial pairing as soon as I started this story. Because I'm a die-hard fan of that shipping. Anyway, be prepared for the next chapter. Hopefully, it'll be a lot more interesting than this one. Pathetic update, but better this than nothing, right? Right? *laughs nervously before running out of the room*


	16. Chapter 16 - Introducing Del

A/N: I'm ready to continue this story. It's likely not going to last much longer. Maybe like 5 to 10 chapters or so. And while I do like writing this story, it clears up a lot more time for me to write my other stories, and it makes it all the more easier. I may start another one, but I'm unsure whether I want to post it or not. No, it is not a Regular show fic. It belongs in another plot. Anyway, lets continue!

* * *

Mordecai sighed and rubbed his temples. He can't believe _Cupid _out of all people helped him with his love life. That was seriously messing with his head. The simple fact that he still loved Margaret made him feel a little pathetic. Even after all of this time, he still didn't let go of her.

But it wasn't the only thing he was feeling. He also felt fear for having to deal with Stacey, which the scenario played in his head over and over and over again with neither of the results being good.

The other was a strangely opened feeling of desire for Margaret. It was as if suddenly a light was cut on in that dark and hollow head of his. To him, it was scary how fast his feeling changed.

Mordecai walked back in the house and sat on the couch with a subdued motion. Rigby was focused on the TV and barely acknowledged Mordecai's presence because he was too engrossed in the show of _Carter and Briggs, _but when he looked around and saw the expression on Mordecai's face, he waved a hand in front of Mordecai's face, but Mordecai gave no obvious signs of noticing.

"Mordecai?" Rigby asked. "Mordecai?"

Mordecai gave no response until Rigby slapped him. Mordecai reacted by punching him in the arm.

"Owwww! What the heck?" Rigby asked.

"You're the one who slapped me," Mordecai said grumpily.

"That's because your head's in the clouds more than those giant babies. And they live in space somewhere," Rigby said, gesturing his arms out.

"That doesn't make sense," Mordecai said.

"You sort of get what I'm saying. Anyway, what's up with you?" Rigby asked.

Mordecai blinked rapidly before responding.

"I met Cupid," Mordecai said in a subdued voice. Rigby looked at Mordecai strangely.

"What?" Rigby said with a confused expression.

"The guy Skips said was going to help me with my problem. It was _Cupid," _Mordecai said, stressing the word.

"Seriously? Is he like we all think he is, or is it another Santa Claus situation?" Rigby asked.

"Santa Claus situation," Mordecai said. "The only thing they got right were the arrows, but there are no hearts on it. Said they make him barf," Mordecai said, making Rigby snort.

"They would make me barf too. So, you know who you like more?" Rigby asked, making Mordecai nod. "Finally. Who was it?"

"I don't want to say," Mordecai said, his voice subdued.

"Why?!" Rigby exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

"Because then I'll have to admit you were right," Mordecai said.

"I was... Margaret?! Hah! Told you! In your face!" Rigby said, pointing at Mordecai.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. The problem is Stacey," Mordecai said, making Rigby blow a raspberry.

"Just dump her," Rigby said bluntly. Mordecai punched Rigby's arm for that comment, and Rigby rubbed his sore arm.

"I'm not like you. I don't do things like that. This makes me regret setting up the date in the first place," Mordecai said.

"I told you doing that was dumb. You only have one option that won't make this end in a complete disaster," Rigby said.

"What's that?" Mordecai asked.

"Be painfully truthful," Rigby said bluntly.

Mordecai winced. '_Yeah, I can't go out with you because I'm in love with another woman!' Yeah, that'll go over well..." _he thought with a roll of his eyes.

Rigby must've known what was going through his mind, because he rolled his eyes.

"Hey, it's the only non-douche option I have for you. Either do it, or don't," Rigby said.

Mordecai sighed. Unfortunately, it was really was the only option he had. He was going to have to do it.

* * *

Eileen finally finished wiping off the counters after the evening rush. Her injuries were very minor, and she decided on going back to work. She figured it would take her mind off things.

Her break was in a minute, and Margaret was going to pick her up. She couldn't help but worry that Mordecai was doing a lot worse off than he really was. Maybe it was just paranoia.

Margaret walked inside and she took a long look around the place.

"Man, I don't miss the mornings and nights here," Margaret said with a smile. Eileen turned around and faced her friend.

"Yeah, the days here are still terrible," Eileen said with a painful expression. "Especially... recently."

Margaret's smile disappeared quickly after that sentence. The hospital memory was still too fresh in her mind. It wasn't an event she would care to repeat.

"Yeah. But still, there were good memories here. Plenty of good ones," Margaret said with a wistful sigh.

"Mordecai and Rigby rapping, us working when it's quiet, things like that?" Eileen asked.

"Exactly like that. Things seemed much simpler back then," Margaret said.

"That they did. That they did. Anyway, you ready to go?" Eileen asked.

"Someone's coming along with us, if that's cool?" Margaret said.

"Sure. Who is it?" Eileen asked.

"Come on in," Margaret said, sticking her head outside for a brief moment.

In walked a man wearing a high collared white shirt and neat brown hair. He looked like he belonged at one of those high quality golf course. Eileen knew where Margaret was going with this and a few weeks ago she would've supported her. But now that the circumstances have changed somewhat, she didn't really think the same thing anymore. But she would try and be happy for Margaret's sake.

"Del Hanlon. Nice to meet you," he said politely, holding out a friendly hand. Eileen hesitantly shook it.

"Nice to meet you as well. I suppose this is..."

"My boyfriend? Yes," Margaret said quickly to finish Eileen's sentence.

"Well, I saw this coming," Eileen said, before thinking. _"Just not this guy..."_

"Well, shall we go then?" Del asked.

"Yeah. In a second," Margaret said.

"Where we going?" Eileen asked.

"Cheezers. Only place I could get health nut over here to compromise to go," Margaret said grinning and nudging Del.

"My family has a bad habit of getting diabetes. Forgive me if I want to be very careful," Del said, wrapping an arm around Margaret.

"A good wing or two won't kill you," Margaret said, kissing him on the cheek. "Now come on. I think we've kept Eileen waiting long enough."

"Yeah, you have. I'm resisting the urge to throw up right now," Eileen joked.

"Do it now, because we're eating in a minute and it would be a waste of my money," Del said smirking.

"You buying?" Eileen asked.

"Yes I am. I think the stuff I wear gives me the insinuation of a rich kid," Del joked.

Eileen laughed. Well, at least he wasn't a stuck up douchebag.

"Are you two ready for real?" Margaret asked impatiently.

"Always," Del said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Eileen grimaced. That was going to take some getting used.

* * *

A/N: Forgive me, but I kind of got writers block on how to go about this chapter, so that's my bad. Next chapter coming when I can. Hopefully I won't get stuck again.


	17. Chapter 17 - No Regrets

A/N: Now, this isn't as long of a delay as last time gratefully. I'm wondering if people still read this. Let me know if you do, because I haven't seen a thing change in a while. Anyway, we're moving on. Yes, I still keep up with recent Regular Show events. It's why I ended the last chapter like I did.

* * *

Mordecai felt his heart was actually going to pump out of his chest and kill him. This is something he did not want to do, but facts that Cupid brought to light made this unavoidable. Plus, he would probably vomit at the prospect of keeping up a facade any longer. It not only be bad for him, but also for Stacey. He stood outside of the library and waited. And waited. And waited even longer.

"Where the heck is she?" Mordecai said, checking the time on his phone. She was over a half hour late. "This is ridiculous."

He began to dial her number and it went to voicemail. Mordecai angrily stuffed the phone in his pocket and left.

"She stood me up. Not cool," Mordecai said, before Cupid suddenly teleported in front of him with a woman at his side. "Hey."

"Hey. Since you seem to be open as of now, you want to hang out?" Cupid asked.

"Sure. Since Stacey stood me up," Mordecai said, causing Cupid to smile.

"I thought you liked Margaret. Or do you plan on having a menage trois?" Cupid questioned with a teasing smile. Mordecai frowned.

"It's the principle of the thing. She stood me up. Whether I like Margaret or not, that was a jerk move," Mordecai said, before pointing at the woman. "Who's she?"

"This is Venus. Remember that bet I won? She owes me an infinite amount of favors that she can't refuse. Aside from anything self humiliating, degrading, painful, or disgusting. One of those is to have her apologize for messing with your love life like it's a game," Cupid said. Venus looked like she swallowed a particularly disgusting lemon.

"I'm sorry for messing with your love life. But I blame you for getting me in this situation," she said, pointing at Mordecai.

"Hey, not my fault. I thought I was over her too. Apparently not," Mordecai said, raising his hands in surrender.

"Still, the fact that Venus of all people owes me an infinite amount of favors is particularly amazing. For one, she's buying the lunch," Cupid said, looking giddy.

"Luckily I have an amount of money that would allow me to buy planets, so all is well and good. And at least you have a fair taste in food places," Venus said, shrugging.

"Where are we going?" Mordecai asked.

"Steak me Amadeus," Cupid said, making Mordecai suddenly choke on his spit.

"Why there?" he said, pounding his chest as tears started streaming down his face and clearing his throat several times over. (You know how your eyes get watery if you cough hard enough? Basically that)

"Well, because the food's amazing for one. It's secluded, so no one sticks a nose in our very hard to explain conversations for another. And I kind of wanted to mess with your head. Just try to forget what happened and enjoy the food," Cupid said, placing a sympathetic hand on Mordecai's shoulder.

Mordecai took a deep breath and nodded. Cupid grinned.

"That's the spirit! Now, I know if we try to teleport there that'll garner some unwanted attention, so I got this!" Cupid said, holding his arms out toward a convertible. "A small space in the back, but it would fit either of you."

"I'll sit in the back. It's fine with me," Mordecai said, shrugging. Venus turned toward him and smiled for the first time.

"Well, well. We have actually have a gentleman standing near us," she said. Cupid looked very affronted.

"And what am I? Chopped liver?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"More like chopped fruit," Venus said, grinning.

"That was a low blow and you know it," Cupid said, crossing his arms.

"What does she mean by that?" Mordecai asked.

Venus gestured for Mordecai to come closer and she whispered in his ear. Mordecai stifled a laugh at this bit of information, but it was quickly squashed when he felt something wet behind his ear. He jerked back, placing a hand on the spot.

"What was that?" Mordecai asked, noticing Cupid looked particularly disgusted.

"That was Venus' tongue. Just remember what I told you," Cupid said.

Mordecai's eyes widened and he looked at Venus surprised. She just gave him a flirty grin that looked too good to be human. But it wasn't, remember?

"Oh man..." Mordecai groaned, placing a hand on his forehead. The fact he had _Venus _after him was more than he could bear. Hopefully she was just joking around. Hopefully.

"Can we go?" Mordecai asked, feeling particularly uncomfortable.

"Please. Before Venus' flirting makes me lose my appetite," Cupid said, fake gagging. Even though Mordecai was getting the same feeling, he couldn't resist teasing Cupid about it.

"Jealous much?" Mordecai said, grinning teasingly.

Venus raised an eyebrow at Cupid, which caused him to roll his eyes.

"Please. I know all of the miles on that..." Whatever he was about to say was cut off by Venus whacking Cupid upside the head with a big rock.

"Ow! Not cool!" Cupid yelled, rubbing a hand on the bleeding and swelling spot.

"Neither was the very non-PG phrase you were about to say. If you had told him that, I would've sent you to stay with Hades for a few days. He likes me, so I can manage that," Venus threatened.

"I could just use one of my limitless favors to make you not to," Cupid reminded her.

"That still won't stop me. You want to keep trying your luck?" Venus said with a devilish smirk. Cupid started sweating a little bit.

"Ok, fine. I'll keep your past out of this," Cupid said.

"Thank you," Venus said, before smiling warmly at Mordecai and gesturing her hands out to the car. "Shall we?"

"Please," Mordecai said, hopping in the back.

The trip itself only took about 10 minutes. Yet it felt much quicker while you were with Venus. Disregarding any first impressions of what he had on her the first time, it was more centered around the fact that she just liked to have fun. On Mordecai's expense, but compared to other acts that happened with the gods, her way was pretty tame. Even if it turned Mordecai's emotional state into a pile of putty.

They arrived, Venus paid the man upfront, and getting a table was no problem.

They all took a seat and opened the menus.

"Steak easily," Mordecai said.

"Same here," Cupid said.

"Don't know about you, but I prefer the _cream_ brulee," Venus said, with a very suggestive look at Mordecai, who in turned a bright red. He may like Margaret, but he's only human and Venus is a goddess. Of beauty and love at that.

"Oh God, I'm going to puke from that mental image," Cupid said, heaving.

"You should be used to it by now. We've hung out before," Venus said.

"Yeah, that was when it was over in 10 seconds because you could actually get an impulsive action from them. This... it's something entirely different. You can't get one from Mordecai," Cupid explained.

"I'm sure going to try. Men of sterner stuff have failed to do so. Only a handful have been in love enough to not act," Venus said.

"Why me?" Mordecai groaned, face planting into the table. Cupid clapped a sympathetic hand on Mordecai's shoulder.

"It's the hard life you live. But you should be flattered that she's trying. That says loads about your self-control and how desirable women find you. It's a big boost to your ego if anything," Cupid said, shrugging.

"Suppose you're right about that. It's still awkward," Mordecai said.

"True, but you start to get used to it," Cupid said.

"Hey, isn't that Stacey?" Venus said, pointing and not sounding surprised at all.

Mordecai's face turned into one of disbelief as, sure enough, Stacey was sitting there and kissing with a guy. Mordecai didn't looked very bothered by the development. On the contrary, he looked quite calm as he said this.

"Well then. That solves that problem," Mordecai said, turning away. He didn't seem bothered at all by it.

"You're not going to try to get her back? You have been trying to break up with her, but at least your intentions weren't wrong," Cupid said reasonably.

"Just how to do you expect me to get her back? A prank? I'd be doing that for a long time to make it sufficient enough to make up for it," Mordecai said.

"Well, this is I why I come prepared," Venus said, getting up and walking off. She ended up returning with... Margaret.

"Seriously?" Mordecai said, instantly turning a bright red and face planting himself on the table. He could hear a chair scrape outward, but he kept his head down. At least until a slender hand tapped his shoulder. He lifted his head up for a brief moment and saw that she was staring at him... differently. It was a stare so hard, Mordecai was surprised that it didn't burn holes through him with the intensity of it. It was a cross between nervous, yet passionate.

"Margaret?" Mordecai asked confused. She bit her lip before speaking.

"No regrets," Margaret simply said before grabbing Mordecai's head and locking lips with him roughly.

Mordecai instantly gave into the kiss. He remembered this feeling. It gave him an intense feeling of elation, like he was suddenly injected full of helium and started floating.

When they broke, Margaret somehow had turned even more of a brighter red than her feathers. Mordecai seemed to have a shocked, but happy look on his face.

"Well, how about that. It did work," Venus said, making Mordecai looked at her shocked. She just smiled slyly at him.

"You planned this?" Mordecai asked.

"Of course I did. I pulled a lot of strings to do it, and it required quite a bit of foreseeing, but as you can see, it worked. Now you've got no problems, right?" Venus said.

"No, not at all," Mordecai said, nodding. "I assume you did the same thing as Cupid's arrows?"

"Sort of. My trick is stronger. With a hint of lust in the mix. If Margaret wasn't so nervous about doing this, she'd likely be doing a lot more than kissing," Venus said, smirking.

Margaret turned a bright red, and looked ashamed for a minute.

"What's wrong?" Mordecai asked in concern.

"It's just... I was dating something currently. This... I didn't plan on. It's just wrong," Margaret said.

"I don't think so. Look over there," Cupid said, pointing.

Facing their direction was not only Stacey, but Margaret's boyfriend in question, Del Hanson. Margaret looked shocked for a long minute. She truly was at a loss for words.

"No regrets, right?" Mordecai said.

"None," Margaret said, locking lips with him again.

Cupid grinned.

"And I thought you were cold hearted," Cupid said, nudging Venus.

"Well, I made the guy suffer long enough. I'd say he deserves a break. Plus you helped me with making Del and Stacey be attracted to each other so just about everyone would be happy. Without you or me, they'd likely make decisions that they would spend years regretting," Venus said.

"Ain't that the truth?" Cupid said. "I'm just glad it's over." Venus accompanied that look with a devious smile.

"Who said it was done?" she said. Cupid paled before glancing at Mordecai and Margaret.

"Oh, boy. This can't be good..."

* * *

A/N: Well, there it is. Quick developments, but I'm kind of trying to rush this story. I really want to focus on my other stories. Not the fact that I'm uninterested in it. It's the fact that my other stories have sequels, while this one doesn't. I have a lot of work I need to do on those. Anyway, I'll see you all later.


	18. Chapter 18 - Cupid's Story

A/N: I'm back to typing. I'll see if I can come up with a decent ending, but until then I'll distract you with chapters of whatever I come up with for the time being. Let's continue! P.S: I changed the rating to T because I think I made too many dirty jokes to keep it K+. So I'll just change the rating all together.

* * *

To make things easier, the convertible was turned into a four door sedan so everyone could easily sit down.

While Mordecai and Margaret were sitting in the back, there was a cloud of embarrassment hovering over them. What happened in the restaurant made it seem like something out a dramatic soap opera. 'Star-crossed lovers' or some other crap like that. the action was easily fueled by Venus, who seemed to be playing them as easily as a video game.

Whatever the reason, Mordecai had a feeling Venus was just getting started in making his love life more difficult than living at the park. Which was saying something considering all of the weird developments.

Mordecai glanced at Margaret from out of the corner of his eye and Margaret was doing the same thing. When they noticed, they turned away blushing as red as Margaret's feathers. Cupid and Venus were restraining their snickering from the front seat. It was adorable and funny at the same time. They didn't talk nowhere near as much as they did before Margaret went off to college, and then... you know what happened.

"You two are being so adorably shy. Nervous about the second go around?" Venus said with a teasing grin.

"You could say that..." Margaret said, rubbing her shoulder. "I'm definitely going to have to explain this to mom."

"What do you mean by that?" Mordecai asked. Venus smiled. Good. They finally have a conversation going.

"I told her about Del just a day ago, and now this happened. It's crazy convenient that your date and my boyfriend happened to be..." Margaret trailed off before glancing at Venus. She simply gave Margaret a wry grin.

"And if we planned it? We set those two up for each other cause me and Cupid actually agreed on this decision. That way everyone was happy and it would save you both some explaining," Venus said, making Mordecai's jaw drop.

"You did not," he said in a subdued voice.

"Of course I did. You're welcome," Venus said.

"Well, isn't this a kicker?" Mordecai said.

"Yes it is. Though... it worked out for the better I suppose. I mean..." Margaret said blushing, making Mordecai smile in a good natured way.

"Yes, I do think it worked out for the better," Mordecai said, locking lips with her again. She returned it with as much fire as Mordecai.

"It looks like you're trying to swallow each other from the rear view mirror. I'm eager to see who wins," Venus said. Mordecai and Margaret paid absolutely no attention to her.

"Oh, boy. It's going to be that kind of relationship..." Cupid said.

"Ah cheer up. Your work here is done. You achieved what you intended," Venus said, placing her feet up on the dashboard and her hands behind her head.

"Yeah. You're right about that. And I'm glad for him," Cupid said.

"Glad you think so. Because the emotional rollercoaster for them isn't over yet," Venus said.

"Don't even think about it. Mordecai's suffered enough, don't you think? I'm using one of my favors. Don't mess with Mordecai and Margaret in any fashion or form that is frustrating and emotional in any way," Cupid said, his voice stern and eyebrows furrowed. Venus pouted adorably.

"You ruin all of the fun," she said, crossing her arms.

"If I can help it, you're not going to be a chaos element in their relationship any longer," Cupid said, turning into the park.

"Thanks," Mordecai said. He and Margaret finally stopped making out long enough to listen to the conversation they were having.

"So you actually stopped eating each others lips to listen? I'm surprised," Cupid said teasingly.

Both birds in question blushed bright red before the car came to a complete stop.

"You want to come in?" Mordecai asked Margaret.

"I kind of want to talk to Eileen first. I'll come by later," Margaret said, kissing him on the lips. "I promise."

Mordecai smiled warmly. _This _is what he truly missed.

"I'll see you then," Mordecai said, hopping out of the car.

As soon as the car drove away, Mordecai did a double fist pump in the air in a wild happiness. He never thought getting here would be easier than he once thought.

He walked into the house with happiness evident on every detail on his face. He went upstairs to his room when he noticed Rigby wasn't here.

_"Oh, right. He had a date with Eileen," _Mordecai thought suddenly. Mordecai shrugged and went back downstairs. While he was happy for himself, he was also happy for his best friend. Both of which were finding the happiness that they wanted.

_"Now, if we could only do that for Benson, Skips, and possibly Pops," _Mordecai thought suddenly.

"You're trying to take my job, aren't you?" Cupid said, suddenly appearing on the couch.

"You can teleport?" Mordecai asked in shock.

"Well... yeah. It's better than taking a car everywhere. Venus went back to Olympus. She's pretty pissed at me because I'm foiling her plans because of that bet we made," Cupid said, crossing a relaxed leg over his knee.

"To try and mess with me and Margaret. Thanks for that," Mordecai said gratefully.

"No problem. I don't want your love life to be hell like mine was when I died," Cupid said.

"You died?" Mordecai asked shocked.

"Yeah. Here's what happened. The day when I died I was a full grown adult. I'll explain the baby thing in a minute. I was engaged at the time. This is where Venus came in. She thought it would be funny to mess with my love life just like she was messing with yours. First there was numerous women suddenly expressing interest in me in public, regardless whether Susan was with me or not. Then there was my job as a doctor. I was a surgeon, so I operated on cases that involved flesh wounds. Gunshots and the like. A lot of that stuff likes to happen at night, so I had to work late nights. Then..." Cupid closed his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath before speaking.

"What happened?" Mordecai asked gently.

When Cupid opened his eyes, they were slightly wet with tears.

"Well, Venus told Susan that she was one of my 'side-chicks.' That I met with her most nights because he didn't really have to work. What none of had been expecting was for Susan to eat a gun. She was always emotional, but... none of us were expecting that," Cupid said in a sad tone.

Mordecai was shocked beyond belief. He knew Venus was bad, but to push someone to suicide... was horrible beyond belief.

"Well, from that point I proceeded to follow her example. Only in my case, things turned out different. Jupiter, or in some cases Zeus, knew when Venus went too far. So I was hired as a consultant. To be a deterrent to her decisions. She now can't make extreme decisions without my consent. I hated her. I hated with all of my being, but somehow, I really don't know how, but I was able to forgive her. We even became friends, as you can see. Venus actually felt remorse for that action, which means something when it comes to a goddess. I guess why I took such an interest in your case is that it reminded me of mine, and I didn't want you to go through what I went through. Even if yours was a lot more complicated than mine," Cupid explained.

Mordecai couldn't do anything but look at Cupid in shock. The gravity of what happened... the tragedy... it's horribly sad. Now he could see why Cupid took such an interest in helping him out.

"Does anyone else know this?" Mordecai asked.

"Besides everyone on Olympus, Skips. He's the only one I had grown close enough to tell. But I just thought it summed up why I did what I did. And the more I tell this, the easier it gets," Cupid said.

"Thank you for sharing such a secret with me," Mordecai said.

"You're welcome. And it's not all bad. I can visit Susan in Elysium any time I want. It's where I spend my time when I'm not down on Earth. She's as every bit human up there as she was down here. For that, I can thank Venus for I suppose," Cupid said, before smirking. "Now, I've seen you play video games before, but I don't understand why they're so addicting to you."

Mordecai smiled. This was a topic he could really get into.

"I'll show you. I'll teach you how to play Alley Fight Dudes. Even Rigby's good at that game," Mordecai said, starting the game up.

"Alright. And I'm a quick learner. So don't you worry about me," Cupid said, grabbing a controller.

"Enough talk. Let's play," Mordecai said grinning.

* * *

A/N: Did you guys like the Cupid backstory? I'm looking for feedback. It was hastily put together, but I still think it came out pretty good. Now, I'll see you all next time.


	19. Chapter 19 - College Stress

A/N: I think I may have an idea of how I'll end it, but there are a few things I'm going to have to cover in the meanwhile that'll keep this story going on for a fair bit. Now, I'm going to flash forward a month. Let's see if any of you can guess what it is... Ok, time's up. If you guessed it, good for you.

* * *

Mordecai looked at the letters with an apprehension in his bones. This definitely put a twist on his plans. The opportunity was too good to pass up, but he would be leaving behind everyone. God, the choice was killing him.

"Problems?" Skips asked, skipping into the kitchen.

"Many. You see these letters?" Mordecai said, holding up all 5 in one hand.

"Yeah. What about them?" Skips asked.

"They're all college _acceptance _letters," Mordecai said, stressing the word as much as he could. Skips raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you were applying for one college only?" he asked.

"I did. But apparently that guy told someone. And then that guy told someone. And then he told someone. You get the gist? I got accepted into the college I was aiming for, but I also got accepted into other ones that are better, but further away. I promised them I would stay here. I _promised _them. But I also don't want to let this pass. God, is this what Margaret had to go through?!" Mordecai exclaimed, ripping feathers out of his head.

"Calm down. The decision was hard for her to decide, but she decided on bettering herself before she came back. You should do the same, but in a better way. One that keeps you two connected. What do you plan on studying?" Skips asked.

"Game designing. Seems like as good of a career to start as any," Mordecai said, making Skips nod.

"Good. You're playing more to your strengths. I recommend you actually major in it. How long you spend in the subject depends on how hard you work. At an average, it would take you about four years to complete. Two if you can ace just about everything. They'll put you in the more advanced classes, which will end up speeding up the time in which you get your degree," Skips explained.

"Makes sense. I'll definitely do my best, but I'm not sure if it's be enough to graduate that fast," Mordecai said.

"Never say never. You would've passed it no problem if you took up the Guardians' offer for supreme knowledge of the universe," Skips reminded him.

Mordecai face-palmed from the memory. How do you turn down things like that just to move a stupid harpsichord? They could've got it done. Not as easy, but it would've been done.

"Not the smartest decision me and Rigby have ever made. I mean, the eternal youth thing I didn't want, in light of having to live forever and watching loved ones die over and over again. But the knowledge would've helped loads," Mordecai said before smirking. "We wouldn't have to bother you everything as well."

Skips chuckled and shook his head slightly.

"I would be grateful for the break. But you have a decision to make. How are you going to go about this?" Skips asked.

Mordecai went deep into thought. He knew if he were to leave without any form of connection, there might be another insane turn of events concerning the romantic life, and that's something Mordecai did not want. He wanted to stay close to his friends, family, and girlfriend.

"You have any ways we can stay connected?" Mordecai asked.

"I have one. Won't be as a effective as having you here, but they'll do. Just give me a sec," Skips said, walking out of the door.

When he came back, he placed a small phone in the palm of Mordecai's hand.

"This isn't like most phones. This is a 'smart phone.' One of the few in development, but they're connected to satellites which allow contact all over the world. Mostly used by military and haven't yet been released to the public. But someone owed me something, and I got these. I'll keep the other, and if they come over here, they'll be able to contact you if you answer. Just make sure to keep up with it. Don't let anyone take it," Skips stressed.

"I won't. Thanks Skips," Mordecai said in a grateful tone.

"It's no problem. You owe me one," Skips said smiling.

"Just how many 'ones' do I owe you?" Mordecai said, chuckling softly. Skips let out a loud laugh.

"Isn't that the truth? Well, you'll have to decide on the college you want to go to and then you'll have to tell everyone else," Skips said.

"This isn't gonna be easy," Mordecai said sighing.

"Long distance relationships never are. But you'll just have to hang in there. Rigby, Eileen, and Margaret are all at the coffee shop. That's more of your responsibility. I'll let everyone else at the park know," Skips said, walking back outside.

Mordecai sighed and grabbed the acceptance letters off the table before walking out the front door to get to the cart before heading off toward the coffee shop. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he would just have to grit his teeth and do it.

* * *

A/N: And... I'm going to cut here just to mess with you. lol. You'll have to find out their reactions next chapter. This chapter was short, which made this even more of a pain for some people, but that's the point. *laughs evilly*


	20. Chapter 20 - Various Issues

A/N: Took forever to get back because of the long chapters I posted for my other stories, but I finally got to this story. Updates go in an order, and this one is usually slow on the uptake. But anyway, we're going to continue where we left off.

* * *

Mordecai had a tight grip on the steering wheel he was currently occupying. He was nervous about how they would all react on his choice to go to a college further away. He hoped that the solution Skips had would be enough to placate them. But in reality, it didn't seem enough to placate him. But it would have to do until he graduated.

Mordecai pulled into the coffee shop, holding the letters he was about to show everyone. But when he walked in, he walked in to Rigby, Eileen, and Margaret arguing with what looked like Margaret's old boyfriend and Stacey. Oh, this couldn't be good...

"Darn it Venus," Mordecai muttered, knowing the goddess had something to do with this.

"You were wrong! That was not the case when you saw us there!" Del yelled. Mordecai looked puzzled. He didn't exactly look like the kind of guy who yelled.

"That's what it looked like to me! And we were happy for you both! It's better than if we remained ignorant to what was really going on, and you know it," Margaret said, half angry and half calm. It looked like she was trying to convince them for a while keeping the conversation civil.

"Yeah! What she said," Rigby said, making Mordecai face palm. His friend knew how to be extremely unnecessary. But Mordecai found this a good point to step in.

"Uh, what I miss?" he asked in a confused voice. Because he was seriously confused about this situation. Del and Stacey looked over to his location and their eyes seemed to light up about Terminator bots. Oh, man...

"Well, this is a meeting of the ex's. And none of them happen to be happy," Stacey said, storming up to him.

"Firstly, why are you here?" Mordecai asked.

"I called them," Margaret admitted, making Mordecai look at her shocked.

"She wanted to clear things up Del. Make sure things were clear between everyone. But apparently, the thing at the restaurant wasn't actually real. It was a ploy to spark some jealousy. What they didn't plan on was it not working," Eileen cleared up.

"Del ended up calling Stacey here and they both arrived. Now the whole situation turned into a big mess," Rigby said.

"You're doggone right it's a mess. I don't appreciate when anyone moves on my girlfriend," Del said sternly.

"_I _made a move on _him. _Not the other way Del. Why can't you understand that?" Margaret said in disbelief.

"Because he things of you too highly. But I know Mordecai. He's not the kind of person to make a move when he knows someone is in a relationship," Stacey said sternly. She may have not been happy about the situation, but she was still honest. And Mordecai silently thanked her for being level headed.

"For the record, I didn't even know Del was in her life until what happened at Steak Me Amadeus. How'd you even have enough money to get in there? It's pretty expensive," Mordecai asked.

"If you tell us how you were able to get in. As I recall, you work in a park, which is not very good for income. Did you use your college money?" Stacey asked.

Before Mordecai could even answer, Del spoke up.

"Hold up, he works in a park? He's in a dead end job! He'll never be able to support you! He's a loser dropout!" Del said. Mordecai went from calm to angry in a split second.

"You're going too far douchebag," Mordecai said angrily.

"Not far enough loser," Del said.

"Hey! That's my friend you're talking about! Shut your stupid, tea-drinking, crumpet-eating self up. Whoaaaaaa!" Rigby exclaimed, Mordecai joining in with his friend.

It didn't hurt to let out his childish side out every once in a while. But Mordecai had to admit. When it came to the insults, Rigby was a champ. Del turned red with anger at the insult.

"There's no need for this to get out of hand with insults. We can talk about this civilly," Margaret said, trying to keep the peace. She did not want this to turn out into a fight like she had fearing since they arrived. Del cleared his throat and straightened his clothes before speaking.

"Of course. Blame the dropouts over there," Del said, making Rigby roll his eyes.

"Don't start something you can't finish," Rigby countered.

"Look, I want to resolve this the best way possible. I want Stacey to remain my friend and you and I leave on civil terms. But..." Mordecai couldn't go any further as Stacey spoke up.

"Friends? It wasn't very _friendly _to enter a relationship you know was only going to fail," she bit at him, making Mordecai flinch.

"I didn't know it was going to fail. Look, I was put in a tough situation and wanted out. I didn't realize it was going end up hurting us both if I continued," Mordecai said.

"I made the same choice. I figured things would be better that way," Margaret spoke up.

"What was the choice?" Stacey asked.

"Oh God..." Mordecai said, rotating his head. It was a long, dramatic story.

"Mordecai kissed Margaret during a Christmas party while he was dating someone else," Rigby clarified in a very Rigby tone.

Mordecai badly wanted to pop Rigby upside the head, but Eileen had already taken care of that for him.

"So you're a player now?" Stacey asked, crossing her arms and looking at him half surprised and half angry.

"That was not the case!" Mordecai exclaimed.

"What's not the case? That you can't stay loyal or you like breaking the hearts of women? Take your pick," Del bit at him. Mordecai badly wanted to punch this jerk, but couldn't deny that's what it sounded like.

"That's not the case at all. I just... couldn't control myself," Mordecai said, gripping his feathers. The look on CJ's face when she found them was still upsetting. But it wasn't intentional. Not in the least bit.

"Self-control is a crucial part of the relationship sometimes. If you don't have that, then staying loyal is an impossibility for you," Stacey said, crossing her arms.

"I'm just as responsible for what happened that night. He wasn't the only one who acted impulsively," Margaret admitted, jumping into the argument.

"Why did either of you even enter a relationship after you know there was unresolved issues between the both of you?!" Del yelled. He definitely looked upset. Not angry, but upset.

"I thought we were over each other and that we could leave the past behind," Margaret said.

"And I didn't think I still loved her. In a way, I mourned her leaving and thought I got over it, but that wasn't the case," Mordecai explained, making Margaret look him with a surprised look.

"You mourned me leaving?" she asked. Mordecai looked slightly shy. He felt like he was when he tried to win her heart in the first place.

"I was a mess for a few weeks. Took everyone at the park to get back together. Even then, there were still... impulsive situations," Mordecai said, remembering when he tossed Rigby out of the car.

"Is that why I found my sweater in the trash?" Margaret asked, putting her hands on her hips and looking at Mordecai with a raised eyebrow. Mordecai smiled shyly while his eyes raked her body. She was still sexy.

"Yeah. Even threw me out of the car when we got into an argument. You could call it his 'straying moment,'" Rigby said with finger quotes.

"I dealt with a week of tears, but nothing that deep. You really felt that way?" Margaret asked softly, making Mordecai nod tightly. Margaret was about to walk up to Mordecai when Stacey interrupted.

"You're not breaking this to us any easier by getting into moments like that," she said, making Mordecai and Margaret blush and break eye contact with each other.

"I'm still not happy about this," Del said.

"Well, it's something you'll have to accept. And you two kissed. If you weren't in a relationship, then what was that for?" Mordecai asked.

"We didn't kiss. It was one of those kisses where you kiss the corner of a person's mouth from a certain angle to making it look like they're kissing? It was only to try and make you jealous. It was in no way romantic," Stacey clarified.

"I'm the not the kind of guy who bounces back into a relationship after just ending one. That's not how I do things," Del said.

"But..." Mordecai was about to say when he remembered the type of person or rather, _non-person _Venus was. "I'm going to kill her."

"Who?" Margaret asked.

"Venus. She set that up," Mordecai growled out, clenching his fist. "If it isn't one thing..."

"It's another," Venus finished, standing in the doorway before pouting. "Come on. You wouldn't want to kill little ol' me, would you?"

Rigby's eyes looked slightly glazed before snapping himself out of it and taking a glance at Eileen for reassurance. She seemed to have a firm grip on Rigby's arm. Mordecai had to admire his restraint. Before, I'm sure he would've been a slobbering fool. Like Del currently was. She seemed to a type of aura, but it was having little to no effect on Mordecai.

"I'll apologize to Cupid later," Mordecai said, starting forward and flexing his fingers as if getting them ready for a fight, but Margaret held him back by wrapping both of her wings around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder like they used to do.

"Let it go," Margaret said soothingly. Mordecai relaxed in her arms and stopped attempting to try strangle Venus. At least, that's what looked like his approach. Venus seemed to look extremely shocked.

"That's weird," Venus said.

"That you couldn't charm me to leave you alone? Yeah, the resent I hold against you has risen to that point," Mordecai said, wrapping his right wing around Margaret's shoulder.

"Well, I underestimated you a little," Venus said.

"More than a little V," Cupid said, teleporting in.

"Who are you?" Del and Stacey asked at the same time.

"Cupid or Eros, depends on the mythology," Cupid said.

"Cupid is more common, so I say that," Mordecai said.

"You know Cupid?" Stacey asked.

"I've met a lot of people that would amaze you. Don't really feel like explaining," Mordecai said, before addressing Cupid. "What brings you by?"

"I have news. Zeus or Jupiter promoted me to God of Love. Before I was a demi-god, but now I'm full immortal and have just as much power as Venus," Cupid said giddily. Venus seemed to look at him shocked.

"He gave you the position?" she asked in disbelief.

"I thought you were already the God of Love?" Margaret asked.

"In mortal books I was already deemed God of Love. But I was resurrected as a demigod with a slower aging process. But now I am a god. Been waiting for this promotion for centuries," Cupid clarified with a fist pump. "Now I can actually make more involved decisions."

"That's awesome. I'm happy for you," Mordecai said honestly. Venus seemed subdued somewhat.

"What is it? Unhappy that I'm not below you anymore?" Cupid asked teasingly.

"No, it's not that," Venus said, her voice still subdued.

"Then what is it?" Cupid asked.

Venus turned to Cupid, and he was surprised to see that her face was bright red.

"Uh, it's just that when dad told me if he ever made anyone God of Love, then he was marrying me off to that person," Venus explained, making Cupid go rigid with shock.

_"What?!"_ Cupid yelled.

"That's what he told me. And dad isn't one to not do what he says," Venus said.

"Oh, no. _Hell _no," Cupid said, his face absolutely furious. Mordecai had never seen him so mad. "I'm not taking it if that's the case. Why would he try to trick me?"

"Because he knew you would never accept the position if you knew the conditions. But you still have a chance to back out if you go now. It seals within the first day of acceptance. You might want to go before you're tried to it forever," Venus advised.

"Noted. I'll be back. Oh, I'll be having words with Zeus..." Cupid said before teleporting. Venus sighed and looked at the place Cupid teleported.

"You alright?" Eileen asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be talking to dad too. I'll see you all later," Venus said teleporting.

"That... was strange," Stacey said.

"Welcome to my strange world," Mordecai said, gesturing all around the shop.

"Enough of the distractions!" Del suddenly yelled.

"What more do we have left to talk about? I'm not backing down from my decision," Margaret said firmly. Del looked at Mordecai furiously.

"You're going to fight me for her," he said.

"What?!" Mordecai asked in disbelief. "This is not the stone ages! We're not fighting over as if she were... _property!"_ The word seemed to come off of Mordecai's tongue like venom.

"Leave. Now. Apparently I was wrong to think you could be mature about this," Margaret said, crossing her arms.

"No, _you're _wrong for dating an unsuccessful..." At that word, Mordecai snapped. There was only so much ridicule he could take from someone about him failing school.

Slipping out of Margaret's grasp, he grabbed Del by the throat and punched him in the face hard, out cold before he even fell to the ground.

"Shut your mouth next time," Mordecai warned Del's prone figure angrily. Mordecai's hands were trembling slightly from his rage. Margaret held his arms and he relaxed a little.

"Well, he won't be talking about you anytime soon," Rigby said, standing on Del's chest and jumping up and down.

"Rigby, stop," Eileen told him.

"Yeah. If he gets any injuries on his chest, Del might assume battery," Margaret told him.

"He can already assume battery. I punched the crap out of him!" Mordecai exclaimed, making Margaret giggle a little.

"Ok, fine. But markers don't count, right?" Rigby asked.

"Well, since vandalism is disrespect to property, they don't say anything about person. In fact, you got another?" Eileen asked eagerly.

Rigby pulled out another marker and Eileen kissed Rigby on the lips, who blushed heavily. Mordecai smiled at his friend.

"They seem to match each other, don't they?" Mordecai asked Margaret.

"Yes, they do. Now, did you ever apply for the college?" Margaret asked.

Mordecai froze. In the moment, he forgot about the acceptance letters.

"Uh oh, what did you do Mordo?" Stacey asked, making them both jump. They had forgotten she was there.

"It's not what I did. It's what the applicants did," Mordecai said, holding up the letters.

"Wait, what?" Rigby asked, turning around. He stopped drawing on Del's face long enough to look at his friend.

"Just look at them yourself," Mordecai said, handing all 5 letters to Margaret. She looked at them with a surprised look.

"I thought you only applied to one college?" she asked.

"I did. But apparently the applicant told other colleges, and well... they accepted me," Mordecai said hesitantly.

"It's not really a problem. Just don't accept the other offers," Rigby said.

"Rigby... I don't think Mordecai would bring it to our attention if it wasn't an issue," Eileen told him softly.

"You want to go to these other colleges, don't you?" Margaret asked in a resigned voice. She already knew the answer.

Mordecai nodded gravely.

"I can major here, but from what I read, the college called Full Sail has better funding, better teaching techniques, and better... well, everything. I could do it here, but not as effectively and likely not as much knowledge," Mordecai explained.

"But where is it?" Rigby asked.

There was a small pause, then..."

"Florida," Mordecai said with hesitancy.

"Florida?! That's pretty much on opposite position with California!" Rigby exclaimed. Mordecai winced. He knew that was the case.

Margaret seemed to stare at Mordecai with a subdued expression. She didn't know what to say.

"There is a way we can stay in contact," Mordecai said with some optimism in his voice.

"Really? How?" Margaret said quickly. She even beat Rigby before he opened his mouth, who was usually quick on the uptake.

Mordecai pulled out the smart phone Skips gave him.

"Skips gave me this thing called a smart phone. If I call you guys, I can talk to you at any time. Just make sure to come over to the park so you can contact me," Mordecai said.

"Do you have to go?" Rigby asked almost desperately.

"He does. He knows it'll haunt him if he lets the opportunity get away," Margaret said evenly. She was speaking from experience.

"She's right. It'll be one of my 'what might have been' moments. I can't just let it go by," Mordecai said in a resigned voice.

"When will you be leaving?" Stacey asked.

"Late July," Mordecai said.

"July? The school year doesn't start until August 13th," Margaret asked.

"I know, but I'll have to get familiar with the place. Imagine if I go somewhere and try to get lost? The whole place will be new to me," Mordecai explained. There was a long silence hanging in the air after that sentence. It felt like ages until Rigby broke the silence.

"You better come back with that degree. You better not end up like me," Rigby said with a weak laugh.

"I won't. I promise I'll be the best doggone game designer you'll ever see," Mordecai said with an encouraging smile.

"You better. Too many people care about you for you not to succeed. If you don't succeed, I'll kick the crap out of you," Stacey said with a smile.

"If you don't, I'm gonna kill you," Margaret said, hitting Mordecai as hard as she could in the arm. After she hit him, she seemed to start crying after that. Mordecai pulled her into a tight embrace.

"This isn't easy for me either," Mordecai said, closing his eyes and holding Margaret as close as he could to him.

"But there's one thing I do know," Eileen said.

"What's that?" Rigby asked.

"We're going to make this the best darn months we can before you go off to college," Eileen said.

"You got that right. Starting now. Let's go! I got the first location," Rigby said eagerly.

Mordecai nodded and smiled. He was glad to have such good friends.

"But first..." Rigby said as an afterthought before grabbing his maker and going back to Del. Mordecai rolled his eyes. Would his friend ever grow up?

* * *

A/N: I liked this chapter. It was plenty interesting and it was lengthy. But I don't have the juice in me to write through a montage of the months of fun they have together, so next time I'm just going to skip when Margaret has to take Mordecai to the airport. Bit of irony in that. Mordecai had to do the same thing a few years ago. (I don't know whether Margaret got a bachelors or masters, but I have to assume bachelors, so it would be 3 years as she was finishing up her degree at the news station. 5 if she's going for masters. Just sayin') Hope you all enjoyed though!


	21. Chapter 21 - Off to School

A/N: Well, here it is. I'll make this chapter as long as I can, but it won't likely be very extensive like recent chapters. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Mordecai packed his possessions with a sigh before taking a long look around his room. It was still hard to believe this would be the last time he would be in this place. He thought of this place as home. His job as well, but still his home.

"Margaret's outside with her car. You know I hate you for this?" Rigby told him, walking in the room.

"I know. I hate myself for this decision. But I'll hate myself even more if I cheat my future," Mordecai said, holding a box under his arm. "This place is home, but there's no future here. No future for a family, which is exactly what I want. You need to think about the same if you want a future yourself. College is not for you. But if you can't work with your mind, you'll have to work with your back."

"But I'm no good at that! You know this," Rigby complained.

"Then get stronger. Work on it. And if having a steady job to buy your own house with Eileen isn't enough motivation, ask yourself this: Is this really where you want to bring your kid to? Around so many issues that happen at this place? Not to mention Muscle Man," Mordecai explained.

Rigby grimaced before looking at Mordecai with a frustrated expression.

"I hate it that you're right. I'll try," Rigby said.

"Good. I can't stay up here forever. Let's head down," Mordecai said, walking out of the door.

Mordecai headed downstairs and noticed his bags were gone.

"Where are my bags?" Mordecai asked.

"We put them in the car for you. Don't waste this opportunity," Skips told him. Mordecai nodded.

"I won't," Mordecai assured him. Benson then turned to face his former employee.

"And here I was thinking that you would be here the rest of your life like me," he said simply. Mordecai didn't even crack any kind grin or smile at that statement from how serious it was.

"So did I, sadly enough. But enough of that now. I plan on fixing that," Mordecai said.

"I see that. I wish you nothing but the best and hope to meet you later in life," Benson said, holding out his hand.

Mordecai grabbed it and shook his boss' hand. Then he turned to CJ and Stacey who were standing next to each other. Mordecai rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry for how things turned out," he said in an awkward tone.

"I don't really blame you. Just be glad I know you. Otherwise, I'd probably beat the crap out of you," CJ said.

"Same here. But even though you make messed up decisions that you don't think through, I still wish you nothing for the best. And you better come back fully educated," Stacey warned.

"I will. I'm promising you all, and I'm promising myself," Mordecai said, turning to his parents.

"I have to say, you made a good choice son," Mordecai's dad said.

"Wish I felt less crappy," Mordecai said. Mordecai's mom put a hand on his shoulder.

"There are moments where we have to do what is right, and what is easy. You're choosing the path that's right, which is much more responsible. I'm proud of you son," she said, pulling him into an embrace.

"Thanks mom," he said, returning the hug.

"Your flight's in a few minutes. You need to leave now," Skips said, tapping an imaginary watch.

"Alright. Bye everyone," Mordecai said, waving at them with a free hand.

"Bye," all of them said.

Mordecai walked out of the door and he saw Margaret leaning against her car with a sad smile. Mordecai closed his eyes while looking down before walking forward and putting his box in the car.

"Ready to go?" Margaret asked.

"Yeah. We don't have too much time until my flight leaves. So we need to get going," Mordecai said, getting in the car.

"Yeah. We do," Margaret said in a depressed tone before getting in the driver seat.

The drive to the airport was spent a short time in silence. Mordecai cut on the radio in hope of breaking the thick silence, but apparently the radio decided to be a smart aleck and decided to play the Chicago song _If you leave me now. _Mordecai face palmed as soon as the song came on. Margaret instantly moved to cut of the radio.

"It's like the world is messing with us," she said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Mordecai said shortly. His responses were generally short because he was afraid he wouldn't go through with his decision to go if he struck up a conversation with Margaret too long. But he saw that Margaret's hands were turning a paler red from her grip on the steering. Mordecai placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Ease up on the steering wheel," he told her. She took a quick glance at him before looking back at the road, her grip eased.

"Sorry. It's just that... I know how you felt before now," Margaret said.

"I don't wish the same feeling on you. Not even close. It's just..."

"It's ok. I've been in your position before, remember?" Margaret reminded him.

Mordecai nodded. It was one of his most depressed moments. Other than when he thought Margaret was engaged.

They spent the rest of the trip in silence. They couldn't really talk without bringing up the issue they were hoping to avoid.

They finally arrived at the airport and with the help of Margaret, it only took one trip for them to bring his luggage aboard the airplane.

"Flight 486 is boarding in two minutes. Attendants, please get to your flights as quickly as possible," a woman said on the intercom.

"We don't have too much time for goodbyes," Mordecai said.

Margaret practically tackled Mordecai into a hug while Mordecai could feel tears soaking into his shoulder.

"I'll be back. It won't be like last time. I can promise you that," Mordecai said, his voice heavy. "I promise."

Margaret forced herself to detach from Mordecai, who had to promptly turn around and head to the plane. He forced himself not to turn around in case he did not want to continue forward. Hopefully things won't end up like before.

* * *

A/N: Told you it wasn't going to be that long, but it is what it is. Now, I'm going to go over a few things that happens before Mordecai graduates. See you next time.


	22. Chapter 22 - Their Happy Ending

A/N: Finale for this story. I should've ended this a while ago, but I tried to keep it going too far. This ending won't be long. It's just a summary of what happens after Mordecai gets out of college. Chapters will have been removed so the connection makes sense. I will also be posting a one-shot today probably. It's just something that came to me randomly when I was thinking about what I was going to do with this story. Anyway, hope everyone will be somewhat satisfied with this ending. I'd say it takes place 6 months after Mordecai gets out of college.

* * *

Mordecai walked into his house with his bag at his side. He then set it down on the couch before rubbing his neck. Sitting at a computer with his neck at such an awkward angle had put a lot of stress on it.

He then grabbed a soda out of the fridge and proceeded to gulp it down before relaxing on the couch with his eyes closed.

"Long day?" Margaret asked him, coming out of a room in the back. Mordecai opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"Long, but fun. Right now, we're putting in work for a current game they were designing, but they'll let me present my ideas once that's over with," he explained to Margaret.

"That's good. You worked hard to get this far," Margaret told him.

"I know I did. We can easily support ourselves now. The fact that you're still making decent money as a reporter and we divide the bills in half, just gives us a lot of money left over," Mordecai told her.

"I noticed that. And you've been saving for a while to buy me this," Margaret said, flashing him the 5 carat engagement ring. Mordecai simply smiled.

"What can I say? I wasn't going to wait much longer than I had to. Can blame a guy for wanting to hold you down," Mordecai said, getting up and twirling her around like they were in a dance. Margaret wrapped her arms around Mordecai in a tight hug.

"You're the best," she told him.

"What can I say? I'm irresistible," Mordecai told her before kissing her on her neck.

"Mordecai? Margaret? You there?" Rigby yelled through the front door while knocking loudly.

Mordecai stopped kissing Margaret to groan loudly in disappointment. Margaret kissed him on the cheek while looking at him sympathetically.

"Later. I promise," she said, opening the door up to be met with Rigby and Eileen. "You two have the worst timing ever."

Rigby looked past Margaret to see Mordecai stony-faced. Rigby grinned.

"Did I... interrupt something?" he said with a wide grin on his face.

"No kidding Sherlock," Mordecai said moodily.

"Well, we came over to hang out. Or are you too busy or trying to get busy?" Rigby asked, making Mordecai punch his friend in the arm. But he was actually on Mordecai's level. Mordecai was always a weed, but Rigby really hit a growth spurt over the last few years. Same went for Eileen, though she wasn't as tall.

"Owww! Stop it!" Rigby groaned. Eileen simply shook her head.

"Some things will never change, will they?" she asked Margaret.

"Not at all. But that's what makes Mordecai and Rigby. How's living together for you two been?" Margaret asked.

"Decent. Rigby found a better paying job that had about the same labor as the park, but it includes no house to live in. He's had to stay at my place until he made enough money to buy one," Eileen explained to Margaret.

"Mordecai makes good money at that game designing place he works at. So much he was able to buy me this in a few weeks," Margaret said, showing Eileen her ring, who squealed at the sight of it. Rigby looked at his friend surprised.

"You proposed to her? When?" he asked.

"Five months ago. As soon as I was able to afford a ring," Mordecai told him. "I decided I'm not going to wait any longer."

"Well, congratulations man. And who's going to be the best man?" Rigby asked in a rhetorical tone. Mordecai rolled his eyes before smiling at his friend.

"You. Duh, dummy. Who else would it be?" he asked just as rhetorically. But then that tone soon changed into one of fake realization. "Oooh! I know! Dom." Rigby gazed stonily at his friend while Mordecai had a big grin on his face at how he was able to get to his friend.

"You better not," Rigby threatened hollowly.

"I'm just kidding. Of course it's going to be you," Mordecai said, nudging his friend playfully. "So what did you really come over here for?"

"Well, we were going to see if you wanted to go out, but now it seems we ought to throw a party for the soon to be married couple," Eileen said, giving off another excited squeal while staring at Margaret's ring.

"Then lets go out. I'm sure everyone will love to hear about this too," Rigby said, walking out with Eileen following not far behind. Mordecai grabbed Margaret's hand before slowly following behind them.

"This is the life I've been dreaming of," Mordecai thought while smiling.

* * *

A/N: Like I said, this ending was going to be pretty short. That's officially the end of Conflict. Like I said, I might be posting a one-shot later today. Hope you all enjoyed the story my people.


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